The following proposed policy statement
is not the official statement of any actual hospice program.
If any reader knows of any actual hospice program
that offers the full range of end-of-life choices
that are legal within that jurisdiction,
please send that information to the e-mail address at the end.
This proposed policy statement does not represent the views of any actual organization.


FULL-RANGE HOSPICE

POLICY STATEMENT ON
END-OF-LIFE OPTIONS


"The Good Death Hospice Program encourages and supports clients
in exercising the full range of legal options at the end of life.

[Special provision for Oregon, USA:
This includes taking advantage of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act,
which allows terminally-ill patients to obtain and use
a gentle poison that will bring a peaceful and painless death.]

No client is ever required to use any particular method of drawing life to a close.

    The legal pathways toward death include:

(1) increasing pain medication to whatever level seems appropriate to the patient;

(2) beginning terminal sedation, which will keep the patient unconscious until death.
This legal option usually includes giving up food and water provided by any means;

(3) termination of all curative treatments and life-support systems;

(4) voluntary terminal dehydration.
Giving up all liquids except those needed for comfort care
can be chosen first by the patient and later continued by proxies for the patient."

[The sentence in brackets applies only to Oregon at present.
It can be added to such statements in other states or countries
if and when they pass such enabling legislation.]

{This proposed language was created by James Park in December 2006,
posted 12-9-2006, revised 12-14-2006;  12-19-2006; 3-23-2007; 9-22-2007 }

    Please send suggestions for further revision to:
James Park, e-mail:
PARKx032@TC.UMN.EDU

Go to The Hospice Cooperation Project



The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.