Eight states—California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington—and Washington, D.C. allow assisted dying under death with dignity statutes. Montana has a court decision stating physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death under certain narrow circumstances.
But if you live in another state and you want to help enact a death with dignity law, what steps can you take? This is the second in a series of articles about preliminary organizing strategies.
In the first article, we focused on first talking to your friends and family members about your desire to work on death with dignity policy reform and then approaching friends and acquaintances with whom to collaborate. One of the interesting things about talking to your colleagues about death and dying issues is you’ll likely find they agree with you.
To build and cultivate a core of dedicated allies, you should learn about the issue together. Plan on presenting material and having discussions more than once. What follows are a few suggestions for these meetings.
“How to Die in Oregon”
You can host a series of meetings around the groundbreaking documentary “How to Die in Oregon.”
The film is approximately 90 minutes long, so the first session could last about 3 hours with the following agenda:
- introductions and mingling,
- watching the film, and
- discussion of first impressions.
The film is thought-provoking and attendees may need some time to process what they have seen before going home.
The second session would be an ideal time to discuss the film in depth.
The third session could be reserved for personal storytelling and discussions about death with dignity in general.
Remember, the goal of this group is to encourage people to advocacy, so do not get too enmeshed in leading the perfect group. Honest and compelling is important. Having the right answer to every question is less so. If your group runs into a question about physician-assisted dying you cannot answer, please contact us; we are happy to help you track down accurate information.
Discuss the Oregon Death with Dignity Act
Another tool is to hold a group focused on Oregon’s model legislation. Many pieces of legislation are hard for the lay person to understand because the legal documents are full of political-speak, but the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was written so voters could understand it. It was not written for legislators or by legislators. With a little focus and guidance, the law is easy to understand even for a political novice.
Again, three sessions seem the right length.
The first could be focused on an overview of the law and the steps to qualify. The outcomes of this event might be
- a group-designed set of steps for terminally ill individuals to follow with a timeline,
- a list of underlying principles, e.g. what does the law imply, but not state outright,
- and an overview of what it means to “qualify” for the law.
The second session could focus on professionals and definitions. What do doctors have to do if they want to participate? What if they do not want to participate? The group could undertake the same exercise for nurses, pharmacists, mental health professionals, and healthcare institutions. Eli Stutsman, the lead author of the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts, frequently says the law is a medical standard of care. This idea could be another focal point for discussion for the group.
The final group meeting could feature discussions about usage patterns in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority issues annual reports about the law; an exploration of usage patterns over time and demographics is an interesting exercise. A compelling wrap-up could focus on opponents’ slippery slope arguments, comparing them to the text of the law and factual usage statistics. This exercise can provide an enlightening glimpse into the potential motives of our opponents. Your goal, again, is not to get everything right or become an expert in the law, but rather to engage like-minded individuals in long-term volunteer advocacy.
For those individuals who engaged in this process, are there any who want to move ahead with the issue? At this point, try to identify individual skills and interests. For example, does the person prefer group or solo activities? If you have found three or four people who are as engaged as your are, congratulations. It is time to move on to the next step.
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