http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30888637/
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66-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer
OLYMPIA, Wash. - A 66-year-old woman who had stage 4 pancreatic cancer is the first person to die under Washington state’s new assisted suicide law.

Linda Fleming of Sequim died Thursday night after taking drugs prescribed under the “Death with Dignity” law that took effect in March. Assisted suicide group Compassion & Choices of Washington announced Fleming’s death Friday morning.

The organization says Fleming was diagnosed last month with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

The new law was approved in last November’s election with a nearly 60 percent vote. It is based on Oregon’s measure which passed in 1997. Since then, about 401 people have used the Oregon law to end their lives.

Washington and Oregon are the only states to allow assisted suicide.

I think every state should allow it

That's brilliant. Not for her, obviously. But this needs to be allowed over here, dammit.

It's about damned time people were allowed to die with dignity rather than suffer the indescribable hell of continued pain from a terminal disease.

Wow i live in Washington too. Bout time cause if your gonna die from it i rather be put out before i have to suffer dearly.

I agree. Though since I am too lazy to do research, can someone explain how exactly they determine whether your illness is at the stage to allow assisted suicide or not? Is it only terminal illnesses? What about mental illness?

I'm not 100% sure but I know that where assisted suicide is legal strict regulations need to be in place so that the law is not abused and there is no room for loop holes. I'm pretty sure that it is terminal or incurable illnesses only where a person is incapable of carrying out the act of suicide themselves and needs assistance due to being incapable physically of doing it themselves. They also need to undergo psychiatric evaluation so that doctors can be sure that they are making the decision in sound mind. As a person suffering from mental illness would probably be incapable of passing the psych evaluation, I doubt they would be considered for assisted suicide. What's more, I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of mental illnesses, whilst incredibly debilitating are treatable and curable. I don't think that they incapacitate you physically (except in the case of catatonic schizophrenia) to the point that you couldn't just commit suicide yourself without needing a doctor to do it.

I think it's great that 2 states in America now support assisted suicide. Hopefully someday, Britain will follow suit.

ID if this will help, I found the Oregon Law page, IDK if they have a Washington one yet!

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/index.shtml

i can understand the avoiding of suffering and all, but it's just really sad when a person--anyone, loses the will to live.

Sometimes it is not that they've lost the WILL to live. They just no longer can.

no longer being able to live, is called being dead already :x

Hence assisted suicide. They may as well BE dead.

Wow. What happened to believing that suicide was wrong?

There is quite a huge difference in your standard run of the mill suicide.
This is assisted suicide for terminally ill people who are going to die ANYWAY and are opting to go this method to at least die with a little dignity still in tact.

NOBODY should have to live through the indescribable pain and suffering of a terminal illness. I think that anyone in that situation should be given the decision to be able to end their life. If they don't want to live two more weeks filled with pain, then why should they be forced to?