Week 28/2017 in the Death with Dignity Movement

Afterword: Physician-Assisted Death Concepts

Terminally Ill Patients Worried More about Loss of Control Than About Pain

Thanks to the Oregon Health Authority, we have some great statistics about the people who have used the landmark Death with Dignity Act over the past 20 years, including their deepest concerns about their terminal illness. Often, severe pain is the concern raised by family members who have watched their loved ones suffer, but the patients who have sought out physician-assisted dying have had other priorities. The most often cited end-of-life concerns included loss of autonomy (selected by over 91 percent), loss of ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable (almost 90 percent), loss of dignity (77 percent), and loss of control over bodily functions (47 percent). In comparison, pain management was cited by only 26 percent, and concerns about financial impacts of treatment came in last at 3.4 percent.