Majority of doctors oppose I-1000
Letters to the Editor
Mary P. Coday, M.D.
Seattle Times, Sept. 24, 2008
Source
The Times article "Doctors divided on assisted suicide" [Local News, Sept. 22] suggests doctors are evenly split on the issue, which is not the case.
As a physician, I have participated in the last several Washington State Medical Association meetings and have observed the vast majority of physicians testify strongly against physician-assisted suicide.
In the Elway research poll cited, only about 7 percent of the WSMA membership responded (about 2.6 percent of all doctors in Washington). Smaller sample sizes produce less-reliable results. Also, the respondents were not responding to the specific provisions of I-1000, which was not even filed at the time of the poll. The poll's automated telephone line was not receiving responses when I attempted to use it, raising additional concerns.
The WSMA position opposing assisted suicide accurately represents the position of almost all of the doctors I know. The American Medical Association and 48 of the other state medical associations also oppose assisted suicide. Even the Oregon Medical Association has rejected Oregon's assisted suicide law as "seriously flawed" and attempted to have it overturned after they initially declared neutrality.
Although The Times' article suggests physicians are split, everything that I know would suggest that doctors in Washington oppose I-1000 en masse.
— Mary P. Coday, M.D., Shoreline