Patient’s Choice to Die

I believe the decision of the 2nd District Court of Appeal to allow Elizabeth Bouvia to starve herself to death is wrong.

The loss of one human being is too important for us to sit idly by and let three Appeal Court judges rule on the life or death of this wonderful human being, who suffers so much from cerebral palsy and rheumatoid arthritis.

Human life is the creation of God.

I think that government, and county government in particular, has the responsibility to prevent suicide--whether it is the taking of one’s own life by the dramatic means of an overdose of pills or by the slow deterioration caused by starvation.

For, make no mistake about it, the issue in this case is suicide. This is not a case involving so-called “mercy killing” in which a terminally ill, brain-dead patient is kept breathing through totally artificial, mechanical means. Instead, we are talking about a young woman who is suffering and despondent because of a disease for which a cure may be found in her lifetime.

For this reason, on my motion, the Board of Supervisors on April 22 unanimously voted to give its full support to the County Counsel to take the necessary legal action to request the Supreme Court of California to assume jurisdiction in this case in order to reverse the decision of the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

Many people in rest homes and sanitariums throughout the nation are discouraged and despondent and find hope in the possibility that a medical breakthrough will restore them to health. These people will be dealt a terrible blow if this terribly wrong ruling is allowed to stand.

KENNETH HAHN

Supervisor

Second District

Los Angeles