I hoped that my feisty patient who prevailed over brain cancer would be spared another terminal diagnosis, but after two years in remission, her mammogram showed breast cancer. She agreed to surgery, but declined further chemotherapy. When the time comes, she asked, would I help her end her life?
The End of Life Option Act goes into effect in California on June 9, 2016, joining a handful of other states with similar legislation. The law empowers a terminally ill adult to request and receive a drug to hasten death. It also outlines rigorous screening and documentation requirements designed to protect patients and physicians. However, not only is physician participation voluntary, but health care facilities and individuals are under no obligation to discuss the option at all.
Disregarding this aspect of end-of-life care feels eerily similar to insurance companies and health care corporations choosing not to provide comprehensive pregnancy options and contraception. I realize that end-of-life and reproductive care have their differences, but some striking similarities make me wonder how this health care access issue will evolve over time. It was only last year that AB 775, the Reproductive FACT Act, was signed into law in California, requiring that all reproductive health clinics post a public notice about access to abortion and birth control. It set a precedent that patients deserve comprehensive health services and the facts they need to make informed decisions.
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