Oregon bill would extend assisted suicide to euthanasia of incompetent people.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Oregon Senate is currently debating Bill S.B. 893 that would expand assisted suicide to incompetent people who stated in a valid advanced directive, while competent, a wish to die by lethal drugs and the bill permits euthanasia.

The bill officially also legalizes euthanasia. 

Senate Bill 893 states:

SECTION 3. An expressly identified agent may collect medications dispensed under ORS 127.815 (1)(L)(B)(ii) and administer the medications to the patient in the manner prescribed by the attending physician if:  

(1) The patient lawfully executed an advance directive in the manner provided by ORS 127.505 to 127.660;  

(2) The patient’s advance directive designates the expressly identified agent as the person who is authorized to perform the actions described in this section;  

(3) The patient’s advance directive includes an instruction that, if the patient ceases to be capable after medication has been prescribed pursuant to ORS 127.800 to 127.897, the expressly identified agent is authorized to collect and to administer to the patient the prescribed medication;  

(4) The medication was prescribed pursuant to ORS 127.800 to 127.897; and 

(5) The patient ceases to be capable.

The bill enables the doctor to administer the "medications" to the patient. To administer a lethal dose to an incompetent person requires the legalization of euthanasia.

Another Oregon Bill is designed to starve and dehydrate incompetent people to death. 

In Oregon, the Senate is debating SB 494 that appears to simply replace the current advanced directives legislation, but in fact it is designed to encourage the withholding or withdrawal of nutrition and hydration (food and water) from people who are incompetent but not dying. 

Compassion and Choices appears to be expanding Oregon's assisted suicide program to incompetent people and to euthanasia (lethal injection) through the back door.

Oregon Senate Bill 893 will be debated in the Senate Committee on Healthcare.

The 2016 Oregon death with dignity act report indicates that there is also a problem with under-reporting of assisted suicide. According to the 2016 Oregon report there were 133 reported assisted suicide deaths and 204 reported lethal prescriptions. The 2016 official Oregon report also states that the ingestion status was unknown in 10 of the deaths.

• Oregon 2016 assisted suicide report. Under-reporting of assisted deaths?

Recently Kaiser Health News reported that assisted suicide can be a slow and painful death.