Responding to the Death With Dignity Act

Group Health doctors and pharmacists are allowed to provide life-ending medication for patients who request it and who qualify under Washington's new Death With Dignity Act, which took effect March 5, 2009. Since its beginning in 1947, Group Health has encouraged patients to ask questions, to receive thorough answers in terms they understand, and to make informed choices. Patients should speak directly with their attending or primary care physician about this option.

The right of caregivers to decline to participate for reasons of conscience or religion has been well-respected by Group Health and is set forth in the new act. However, all practitioners at Group Health are expected to respond to a patient's query about end-of-life issues with compassion. Group Health believes our practitioners have an obligation to openly discuss the patient's concerns, unmet needs, feelings, and desires about the dying process as part of the continuum of experiences common to all human beings.

A practitioner who hears a request and cannot continue to provide services will have the necessary resources to assure that the patient is referred appropriately.

The Washington State Department of Health is responsible for setting standards and collecting information relative to the Washington Death With Dignity Act.