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First Case
The first known case of physician-assisted suicide was a
woman in her mid-80’s who had been battling breast cancer
for twenty years. Her long-time physician refused to prescribe
a lethal dosage; a second physician diagnosed her as
depressed and also refused the assisted suicide request. The
woman then sought the help of assisted suicide advocates
who found a physician willing to prescribe a lethal overdose.
The doctor who wrote the lethal prescription knew her
2 1/2 weeks. In a taped conversation with the woman before
her suicide, she lamented she could no longer pick her
flowers. She added, “I am looking forward to [suicide] because,
being I was always active, I cannot possibly see myself living
out two more months like this? I will be relieved of all the
stress I have”.6 A
depressed patient was Oregon’s first known assisted suicide victim.
Matheny Case
The Matheny case has brought Oregon’s law to the brink of lethal injection.
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Patrick Matheny was 43 years old and diagnosed with ALS
(Lou Gehrig’s disease). After obtaining the pills by Federal Express,
he struggled with the decision of when to use them. By the time
he decided to take the lethal drugs he was unable to adequately
swallow and his brother-in-law admitted to “helping” him. It is
illegal under Oregon’s law for a patient to receive help in suicide.
When asked for a legal opinion, the Deputy Attorney General said that it is “logical to conclude that persons who are unable to self-medicate” are discriminated against.7 If the law is judged to be discriminatory, it will open the door to legalized euthanasia.
Cheney Case
Kate Cheney was an elderly woman diagnosed with an
inoperable tumor. When she requested assisted suicide, her daughter
felt her first doctor was “dismissive” and sought
another doctor. Kate’s second doctor ordered a psychiatric
evaluation. The psychiatrist found that the patient did “not seem
to be explicitly pushing for [assisted suicide],” had difficulty with
short-term memory and lacked the “very high level of capacity
required to weigh options about assisted suicide”. He refused
the suicide request, saying Kate’s apparent dementia, combined
with pressure from her daughter, made him wonder whose agenda
the lethal drug request really was. Kate seemed to accept the refusal,
but her daughter became angry. A second opinion from a
psychologist resulted in an approval, although she also noted
Kate’s memory problems and that Kate’s “choices may be influenced
by her family's wishes, and her daughter.. may be
somewhat coercive.” Later, after Kate spent a week at a nursing home, she took the lethal prescription.8 A patient suffering beginning stages of dementia and under pressure from her family was a known assisted suicide victim.
Freeland Case
An account of Oregon’s sole documented case of assisted suicide was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.9 The case of Michael Freeland, a 63-year-old cancer patient, proves that assisted suicide safeguards don’t protect patients. Freeland, who was prescribed lethal drugs by an assisted suicide physician, survived nearly two years after receiving a diagnosis of imminent death. Even though Freeland suffered from known suicidal, even homicidal depression and paranoia, Freeland’s doctor denied the need for a psychiatric evaluation. Authorities later judged Freeland incompetent to handle his finances and medical decisions. Firearms were removed from his home, yet the lethal dose was not removed from his possession. After two years, Freeland died naturally, thanks to intervention from volunteers for Physicians for Compassionate Care, who advocated for pain relief and mental healthcare. This care, which relieved his desire for death, was never supplied by the assisted suicide advocates who, once having written the lethal overdose prescription, only wanted to help him die.
Tax-Funded Assisted Suicide
 The Oregon State Health Commission added assisted suicide to its list of services to be provided
under the Oregon Health Plan. Assisted suicide, listed under
“comfort care,” was now to be paid for by tax dollars for those
of low income, while adequate pain management, adequate living assistance for the disabled and some life-sustaining treatments are not covered.
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