In an over 1,600 word article, Kaiser Health News (10/26, Szabo) reports terminally ill patients who have sought assisted-suicide in states that have legalized the practice are more concerned about “controlling the way” they die “than controlling pain,” according to research on the subject. The article points out that advocates for assisted-suicide laws often argue that the laws allow people to end their pain, but research suggests this is not the primary motivation for many people who have sought assisted suicide. Dr. Lonny Shavelson of Berkeley, California, who specializes in caring for the terminally ill, said, “It’s almost never about pain. It’s about dignity and control.”
Related Links:
— “Terminally Ill Patients Don’t Use Aid-In-Dying Laws To Relieve Pain,” Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News, October 26, 2016.