DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Gov. David Ige signs House Bill 2739 “Our Care, Our Choice Act” making Hawaii the 7th Jurisdiction to have an End-of-Life choice. The law was modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, the law the allows qualified terminally ill adults who are mentally competent and within 6 months of death to legally obtain a prescription medication to end their life in a humane and dignified manner.
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I appreciate the recent editorial on medical aid in dying (“Caution needed for aid in dying,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Nov. 16).
It states: “Effective Jan. 1, the Our Care, Our Choice Act will define an end-of-life option that remains controversial in some parts of the community, but one for which some patients and families have advocated.”
Here are the results of polls regarding medical aid in dying:
An October 2015 Stanford University poll found that 76.5 percent of Hawaii residents favor assisted dying as an end-of-life option.
A 2017 Merriman River Group poll commissioned by the Honolulu Civil Beat found that 63 percent of registered voters in the state supported the legislation.
A 2018 Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy poll commissioned by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser found 71 percent of state residents in support of an assisted dying bill.
A clear majority of Hawaii residents approve of medical aid in dying; the editorial should have reflected this fact.
Malachy Grange
Kahala
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