VERMONT ALLIANCE FOR ETHICAL HEALTHCARE Newsletter #11 Sept. 26, 2003
Hi Folks,
The Vermont Medical Society panel discussions on legalization of physician-assisted suicide have been completed. The VAEH provided the following speakers: Bennington - Gene Grabowski; Burlington - Bob Orr; Brattleboro - Tom Evans; Montpelier - Phil Brown; Coventry - Ron Spaulding; Springfield - Keith Michl; Brandon - Steve Gorman. Apart from a cancellation at Coventry due to small pre-registration, the sessions were well attended (25-80 people). Pro and con presentations were brief and to the point, and the physicians in attendance gave spiritied opinion, but few questions. DWD proponents (at the Burlington session, at least) did resort to some ad-hominen arguments, suggesting they feel their position is weak. Steve Gorman reports that nurses were invited to the Brandon session, and they voiced major opposition to PAS, calling to task MD's for inadequate end-of-life care.
The next step is the VMS annual meeting in Woodstock on October 17. The final wording of the position statement is critically important; the legislature and the public are looking to the profession to give guidance.
The ExCEL Committee (Excellent Care at the End of Life) is a multidisciplinary committee started by the VMS several years ago. It has recently been rejuvenated with the naming of a new chair (Diana Peirce from the Vermont Hospice and Palliative Care Council). I will be attending a small planning meeting with an outside facilitator this evening and all day tomorrow to try to focus our efforts in order to make a difference.
Several public forums on the PAS bills have been scheduled during October and November to encourage further discussion of this important issue even before the legislature resumes.
Oct 7 (Tues) 7PM Paramount Theater in Rutland
Oct 27 (Mon) 7PM Congregational Church in Essex Junction
Nov 16 (Sun) 2PM Burlington
Nov 17 (Mon) eve Rutland
Nov 18 (Tue) eve Montpelier
Nov 19 (Wed) eve Brattleboro.
The four in November are being arranged by the Vermont Ecumenical Council, just in the planning stage; sites and times to be announced.
The Death With Dignity Vermont group has hired a lobbyist, former state senator Dick McCormick, to head up their public and legislative efforts. Unfortunately, VAEH doesn't have the funds to do this, so we must rely on you folks in the trenches to do the lobbying for us. Please be in contact with your physician prior to the VMS meeting to encourage a stance in opposition; and please contact your legislators to let them know how dangerous this monumental change would be.
One point that has become increasingly evident to me after talking with colleagues in Oregon is that the OR physicians are clearly not reporting all the cases, at least not the cases which go badly. We know from 3 different reports from the Netherlands that the drug used for physician-assisted suicide there fails to cause death in 16-25% of cases. Dutch physicians then give a lethal injection. OR physicians are using the same dose of the same drug. What is happening to the "failures" in OR? Nobody knows. The official OR data, i.e., the cases that get reported, indicate there are no complications. The failure here is not only pharmacologic; there is failure of honesty as well.
On that cheery note, I sign off.
Bob Orr, president, Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare
P.O. Box 2145; South Burlington, VT 05407-2145 website: www.vaeh.org e-mail:
If you wish to no longer receive these periodic e-mailings, please drop a note to the above e-address.