The recent flurry of articles regarding the state’s new medical-aid-in-dying law missed a glaringly ironic point.

Every article stresses that one of the safeguards of the law is that it only applies to individuals with a six-month prognosis to live. John Radcliffe, the most well-known proponent of the law, is now the first one to request a lethal prescription to end his life, even though he should not qualify for it.

Two years ago he admitted, “I should have died (of stage 4 colon and liver cancer) by July of 2016 and here it is February of 2017. So far, so good.”

On the inaugural exercise of this law, a crucial safeguard already is being disregarded, perhaps because the ability to predict the timing of one’s death is vastly overrated.

Bill Fong

Makiki

Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.