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Stories Posted on June 17, 2008
Washington State Mulls Assisted Suicide Measure
Category: Suicide · State: Washington · Source: Associated Press
There isn't much John Peyton can do on his own except speak, and soon he'll lose even that. The former Boeing computer programmer has Lou Gehrig's disease, which progressively paralyzes its victims. His doctor gives him three to six months to live. He is using his last months to oppose a ballot initiative that would allow physicians in Washington state to help terminally ill patients end their lives. Only Oregon has such a law. "What we're really doing I believe, is attempting to eliminate the sufferer so we don't have to deal with them," Peyton said. Supporters need to collect about 225,000 valid voter signatures by July 3 to get the "Washington Death with Dignity Initiative" on the November ballot.