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Assisted Suicide Proponents in Washington State Turn in More Than Enough Signatures

It is as we feared. Flush with cash and using paid signature gatherers, proponents of I 1000, a Washington State initiative to put a measure to legalize assisted suicide on the November 4 ballot, have submitted 320,000 signatures for verification. They only need 225,000 valid signatures.

The really bad news is that proponents have raised over $1 million while opponents have $88,000. Leading the proponents is former Governor Booth Gardner who is a triple threat. He is wealthy, well-known, and has a progressive disease. At a rally, Gardner predicted victory in November. “We’ve crossed the first hurdle, and we’ve crossed it cleanly, with room to spare,” he said. ‘And I think we’re going to go all the way. I’d bet on it.”

The fiercest opponents of I 1000 and similar measures around the country are disability rights advocates. They believe that assisted suicide will erode even further the ability of those with disabilities to receive adequate medical treatment. “When the state sanctions death, it erodes a moral standard that says the lives of all Washingtonians are valuable,” said Joelle Brouner of the group Not Dead Yet.

Washington State turned down a ballot measure to legalize euthanasia in 1991. Gardner says times have changed and we now have Oregon as our standard. Gardner avoids talking about abuses that have occurred under Oregon’s assisted suicide law. After all, if death is your quest, let’s not give people the facts.

Proponents have a lengthy and difficult battle to stop the Gardner juggernaut.

Barbara Lyons

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