Washington Doctors, Hospitals Refuse to Take Part in New Assisted Suicide Law

by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews Editor: Voters in Washington may have made their state the second in the nation to legalize assisted suicide but that doesn't mean patients who want their physician's help in killing themselves will be able to get it. Doctors and hospitals are already speaking up saying they will refuse assisted suicide requests. Though voters approved I-1000 . . . the Washington State Medical Association says doctors have no obligation to participate in killing patients.

Meanwhile, Providence Health and Services, the largest medical system in eastern Washington, states it will prohibit doctors from killing patients at its medical centers, nursing homes and other facilities: "Providence will not support physician-assisted suicide within its ministries . . . This position is grounded in our basic values of respect for the sacredness of life, compassionate care of dying and vulnerable persons, and respect for the integrity of medical, nursing and allied health professions. We do not believe health care providers should ever be put in a position of aiding a patient in taking his or her own life." . . . Hospice of Spokane will also not participate in the law and says its mission is to provide care and support for patients, not kill them. . . . [Read More]

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