r
¡Clackamas Print
Commentary 3***
Wednesday, Feb. 1. '
[ace Off: assisted suicide ruling
tiding suicide undermines
basic tenets of medicine
Court's ruling upholds
state and patients' rights
Izabeth Hitz
Derek Erickson
'¡Clackamas Print
s long as humankind
[telligent mind they
d suicide. Man has
ig fascination with
has possessed
have contem-
a deep, hair-
the desperate
hcient Japanese warriors killed
kelves when they brought dishonor
[eir families or were defeated in
I By contrast, within the Catholic
ch suicide is considered an unfor-
lesin.
a Nov. 8, 1994 Oregon Voters
Id Measure 16, better known as the
th with Dignity Act.”
lis law allows patients with termi-
Bnesses, whom at least two doctors
[have less than six months left to
[ to ask their doctor to kill them so
can die humanely and with dignity,
be law requires that the patient be a
[adult (1 8 or over) and attend one or
consultations*with a psychologist
ermine that the person who wishes
tamit suicide is mentally sound.
¡veral attempts have been made to
il the act. The latest one was over-
d on Jan. 17 by the U.S. Supreme
[question is this: can handing out
I prescription drugs, even to termi-
ill patients, be considered a justifi-
medical practice by any ethical doc-
khatever happened to the physi-
s Hippocratic cry of “do no harm?”
s Lasagna, academic dean of the
ol of Medicine at Tufts University,
te the Hippocratic Oath in 1964.
new version is used in most medi-
olleges today. The new oath may
I current society and views of
cine, but it has also done away with
do no harm” in favor of “it may be
i my power to take a life.”
uce the bill has been passed 208
e have taken advantage of the right
ers. People who woke up every
ng racked with pain, despairing
i real good in their lives enough to
call their doctor and tell him, “I want to
die today.”
I can not possibly comprehend the
constant ravaging pain and hopeless
ness that would drive someone to want
to end their own life. But if the pain is
the reason someone wants to die, then
why aren’t trauma victims in chronic
pain given the same right? Why limit the
law to those who are going to die in six
months? The whole thing stinks more of
fear than a need for the pain to end.
The matter of suicide could easily be
divided into two major views. Human
rights and nonreligious liberals would
take one view. People have rights. They
should legally be able to kill themselves,
especially if those people are going to
die painfully within six months any
way. Besides, this way they relieve the
heavy burden they place upon society
and HMO’s, thus providing cheaper and
better healthcare for those who really
need it.
Those who come from a religious
stance might see the matter in another
light. In many religions pain or hard
ship is considered an ordeal that builds
character and brings that person closer
to their faith. Not only that, but
to those with faiths that
demand obedience to a
higher deity (yes,
Christians),
suicide
is con
sidered
a lack
of trust
in God
and an
act of direct
disobedience.
No
matter
how you package
the idea, with glittery
red tape and fancy wrap
ping paper, suicide remains
what it is and always has been
- an escape from reality, and in
my eyes, the chicken’s way out.
The Clackamas Print
The Supreme Court did something shock
ing last week, something wonderful, some
thing that should be done more often on a
number of issues: they upheld a state’s right
to make its own laws.
Here in Oregon we have had our laws
challenged by the federal government for
some time. We as Oregon voters are the ones
that put these laws into place.
So does it seem fair for the federal gov
ernment to step in on every social issue that
doesnt tie into their dogma?
Oregon is one of the only states left any
more with a suicide law,
as all the other
states that
once had
them have
had them
repealed.
The
Or e g o n
law allows
a doctor to
prescribe a
lethal dos
age of bar
biturates to
a terminal
patient that is in intolerable amounts of pain.
According to MSNBC, at least 171 people
have taken this route since 1998, most of
them cancer patients. People that receive the
lethal dose of medication don’t have it admin
istered to them.
The Oregon law can be found at egov.
oregon.gov, along with the criteria for receiv
ing physician assisted suicide.
In short it states that the patient must be
at least 18, a resident of Oregon, capable of
making their own health care decisions and
have a terminal illness with less than six
months left to live.
After the patient has requested the Death
with Dignity program, there is a 15-day wait
ing period before the prescription is given.
Oftentimes during this 15 day period a psy
chological exam is required by the M.D. pre
scribing the medication.
For George Bush to attempt to butt in with
federal politics again and take this law away
from our state is ridiculous. His administra
tion’s religious fanaticism was attempting
to rob residents of Oregon their right to die
without the costly, humiliating and painful
symptoms that afflict them.
When people think of our suicide law,
they often relate it to Dr. Jack Kevorkian and
his work. Others have heard of euthanasia.
Euthanasia and Dr. Kevorkian are entirely
aside of what happens in Oregon. No one
hooked up to a death machine, half-conscious
as someone pushes a button or fills a needle.
These are sane and consenting adults that
don’t want six more months hooked up to
mechanical support with no control over their
bodily functions, or in so much pain that they
have to live in a near-coma to deal with it
These people want out and know exactly
what that means.
On Jan. 17, residents of our state saw
federal justice done correctly, because noth
ing was changed at all. Thanks to the voices
of the patients and the voices of Oregon
residents, the “Death with Dignity Act,” a
citizen’s initiative that was passed by a major
ity of Oregon voters, still stands to help those
who have no quality of life left.
For more information on physician assist
ed suicide visit http://egfrv.oregon.gov/DHS/
ph/pas/faqs.shtml
i rowing caution to the river: building in floodplains a bad idea
le Steele
tlackamas Print
M Tillamook County dur-
flthe winter of 1996, 26
of rain were dumped
Bog a 24-hour period, and
Binned for many more days
Hr1,
Mie result was one of the
Mt disasters that I have
Ber witnessed in person. Cars
M left in water that was
Mst to their roofs, build-
■swere destroyed and many
M, Tillamook’s livelihood,
■to be put down because of
Miseases and injuries that
■befallen the county.
Me initial cost of the dam-
■ fvas estimated in the bil-
^■but that didn’t count the
Mrs who couldn’t afford to
Clackamas Print
«600 S. Molalla Ave.
[gon City, OR 97045
P) 657-6958 ex. 2309
r C ucjmmas Print is a weekly
Indent publication and is
Pouted eyery Wednesday except
finals week.
rebuild, or jobs that were lost
for good because the’compa
nies didn’t want to rebuild in
such a violent and unpredict
able location.
Many of these problems
could have been avoided by
not building in a floodplain
below sea level.
Lately we have dealt with
flooding locally and nation
ally, and much of the damage
came from building in a space
that is underwater for two to
three months of the year.
During Hurricane Katrina
the news mentioned that some
parts of New Orleans were
about 26 feet below sea level;
not an ideal place to build a
city. For a hundred years it
was fine, but when the big one
came along, the devastation
caused by being so far below
the waterline was horrifying.
Buildings were destroyed,
families broken up and lives
ended in this tragedy.
New Orleans shows what
can, and with enough time,
will happen in an area that is
prone to flooding.
Building in a floodplain
has always been a risk, but
for some it’s way too tempt
ing of an offer, either because
of the waterfront view or the
low price that may come with
the dangers of the area. All of
the reasons people have for
building in a floodplain don’t
mean a thing once they have
nothing left.
In the end, building on
higher ground will save
money because most flood
damaged houses can never
be used again. Building in a
higher area may be a little
more expensive at first, but
with the risk involved it is
definitely the safest bet.
Being from the coast I’ve
seen what can happen and
the power that is involved,
and it’s a battle that none can
win.
Floodplains are not the
smartest place to build,
but they can have
many good uses for
the environment,
from starting new
J
habitats for other <T-
c
animals, or cre
ating new, richer
soil to grow in.
Sometimes
the
best thing to do with
a floodplain is to let it
be, and see what happens
with the land on its own. It
E ditor - in -C hief : Ben Maras
C opy E ditors : Katie Weinberg, E. E.
A d A ssistant : Megan Cline
S taff W riters : Courtney OTByme, P roduction A ssistants : Megan
West
Alexander Case, Derek Erickson,
Justin Goe, Elizabeth Hitz, Frank
Jordan, Mike Kimberling, Megan
Koler, Adam J. Manley, Matthew
Olson, Joe Piazzisi, Kim Schiewe,
Tayo Stalnaker, Kyle Steele, David
Stark
N ews E ditor : Katie Wilson
C ommentary E ditor : Laura Cameron
F eature E ditor : C.J. Ciaramella
S ports E ditor : Mike Giùdice
A&E E ditor : Jadon Triplett
P hoto E ditor : Jeff Sorensen
A d M anager : Sam Krause
Koler, Tayo Stalnaker, Adam J.
Manley, Brandon Huddleston,
Kraig Hansen
P hotographers : Jake Dannen
D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt
D epartment A ssistant : Pat Lichen
may even someday become a
habitat for Oregon’s favorite
animals, ducks and beavers,
but you can decide who you
like the best.
eV*
G oals : The C lackamas Print aims
to report the news in an honest,
unbiased, professional manner.
The opinions expressed do not
necessarily reflect those of the stu
dent body, college administration,
its faculty or The Print. E-mail
comments to chiefed@clackamas.
edu.