Definitions U.S. Historical Perspective and Current Trends Alaska Alaska Chronology California California Chronology California Death With Dignity Act Florida Florida Chronology Hawaii Hawaii Chronology Maine Maine Chronology Michigan Kevorkian Chronology Michigan Chronology Proposal B - Michigan's Ballot Initiative on Assisted Suicide New Hampshire New Hampshire Aid-in-Dying Act New Hampshire Chronology New York New York Chronology Oregon 1st Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (1998) 2nd Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (1999) 3rd Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (2000) 4th Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (2001) 5th Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (2002) Background of PAS in Oregon Eighth Annual Report on Assisted Suicide in Oregon. Executive Summary of the 5th Annual Report on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (2002) How Do Oregon Psychologists View Their Role in Physician-Assisted Suicide? Measure 16 - Oregon Death With Dignity Act Oregon Chronology Oregon Physicians Attitudes About and Experiences With End-of-Life Care Since Passage of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act Oregon's Assisted Suicide Experience: Safeguards Don't Work Physician-Assisted Suicide: Reflections on Oregon's First Case Suicide in the West The Oregon Report: Don't Ask, Don't Tell Vermont Vermont Chronology Washington Initiative 119 - Washington Death With Dignity Act Washington Chronology |
Hawaii Chronology 1996
- Governor Ben Cayetano created the Blue Ribbon Panel on Living and Dying With Dignity. The 18-member panel debated a host of issues related to end-of-life care over the course of 18 months. The Governor charged the panel to consider the many issues involved in death and dying, and to develop guidelines for the state's public policy. The panel was designed to tap the minds of experts in the fields of law, medicine, ethics, religion, and aging as well as to gather input from the general public. In this way, the panel hoped to ensure that the views of Hawaii's culturally and ethnically diverse population were taken into account.
1998
- The Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel voted 11 to 7 in favor of legalizing euthanasia and released a 101-page report, which included an explanation of its suggestion. The report recommended the legalization of both physician-assisted suicide and "physician-assisted death" (active euthanasia) for "mentally alert patients who either are terminally ill or suffer intractable and unbearable illness that cannot be cured or successfully palliated." The panel also proposed a set of safeguards as part of a draft Model Hawaii Law and unanimously favored improvements in end-of-life care.
1999
- Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate and Compassionate Care (HPACC) was formally made public just before the start of the 1999 legislative session. Composed of thirteen organizations representing physicians, nurses, persons with disabilities, hospices, and religious groups, HPACC members unanimously opposed physician-assisted suicide and supported instead more effective pain management and increased use of hospice care. Members included the Hawaii Medical Association, Hawaii Nurses Association, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, Hawaii Family Forum, Not Dead Yet, and the American Center for Law and Justice Hawaii.
2000
- Two suicide victims, neither terminally ill and both with a history of depression, ended their lives using the plastic bag method promoted by Derek Humphry of the Hemlock Society in his video Final Exit. The video had recently been aired on two local-access cable stations.
2002
- The Hawaii House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide by a 30 to 20 vote.
- On May 2nd, 2002, the Hawaii Senate defeated the physician-assisted suicide bill by a 14-11 vote. The measure is expected to come before the legislature again in the 2003 session.
2003
- Legislation was introduced to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Hawaii Governor stated she would likely veto this measure. No action was taken.
Posted on February 21, 2005. |
