Give as much pain medicine as necessary, but don’t cause death intentionally
When even Gov. Jerry Brown calls AB X2-15 an inappropriate attempt to jam euthanasia through the final days of an extraordinary state legislative session on health care, the public should pay attention. (The Bee chose not to report his remarks.)
The Assembly Special Committee on Health Care has been convened to address cost savings for Medi-Cal, so in bringing this last-ditch proposal, the optics couldn’t be worse. Choose death and save the state a bundle? I am only saying what it looks like.
The Bee supports death-by-doctor while ignoring the fact that good medical practice, tailored to each individual case, allows for as much pain medication as necessary. The intent is everything. If there is a secondary effect of hastening death in the administration of pain control, that is acceptable. Stepping over the line to cause death intentionally must be rejected unequivocally.
The experience of places that have crossed that line is there to warn us. These reports tell the story: http://bit.ly/1JRBCsg or http://bit.ly/1hZtvjc .
Roberta Genini, Fresno
This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Give as much pain medicine as necessary, but don’t cause death intentionally."