Friday, February 17, 2017

"Aid in Dying" Is a Traditional and Misleading Euphemism for Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

Yesterday, the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health amended SB 1129, "a bill for an act relating to health".  The bill seeks to pass an act legalizing physician-assisted suicide and allowing euthanasia.

The new amended version, SB 1129 SD1, changes the title of the proposed act to the 'Medical Aid in Dying Act.'"[1]

"Aid in Dying" is a traditional euphemism for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. See, for example, this article from 1992: Maria T. Celocruz, "'Aid-in-Dying': Should we decriminalize Physician-Assisted Suicide and Physician-Committed Euthanasia?," American Journal of Law and Medicine."

Use of the term, "aid in dying," is also misleading because the act applies to people with years or decades to live (not dying). See here

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[1]  SB 1129 SD1, SECTION 2, page 2 (bottom of the page)