I’m a physician, and I support the Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Law (House Bill 140), modeled after Oregon’s Death With Dignity Law, that will soon come before the House of Representatives. The bill would authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill individuals in the last six months of life, providing them with the option to request prescription medication they may ingest to peacefully end unbearable suffering.
Although some may disagree, doctors understand that ethical decisions are complex. Exercise of conscience allows us to step back from providing medical aid in dying but not to withhold the option from others. These very personal end-of-life decisions should be made by the dying individual, not by the doctor and not by the government.
I was raised Catholic, so I understand the church’s strong prohibition against medical aid in dying, and I fully support priests’ freedom to preach against it to their parishioners. But that is where their influence should end.
I’ve seen a wide array of values and perspectives among my patients. Those who wish to leave this world using medical aid in dying love life and their families as much as those who make other decisions.
A 2020 poll shows 72% of Delawareans support medical aid in dying, including 80% of Catholics, 62% of Protestants and 96% of people in other religions.
Legislators, please listen to the voices of terminally ill patients, check your religious views at the door, and support the End of Life Options Law.
Dr. Anna Marie D’Amico
Wilmington
