First Washingtonian dies under new assisted suicide law

Linda Fleming, a 66-year-old with late stage pancreatic cancer, became the first Washingtonian to die under the state’s “Death with Dignity” act on Thursday. She had been diagnosed a month before.

According to a press release sent out by Compassion & Choices of Washington, Fleming said the pain of her disease had become “unbearable, and it was only going to get worse.” She took medicine to end her life on Thursday evening with her family, dog and doctor by her side.

Fleming said in the press release that she was grateful for the “Death with Dignity” act because the pain medicine she was taking was negatively affecting her life. “I am a very spiritual person and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death. The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to increase them. I am grateful that the Death with Dignity law provides me the choice of a death that fits my own personal beliefs.”

But Dan Kennedy from HumanLife, a group that opposed the act, sent out a note calling it a “sad day” for the state. “We knew this was inevitable. Nonetheless, it is a very sad day for Washington State. Having volunteered for 8 years on a suicide help line, it turns my stomach. Given that she just received the diagnoses last month, and given the ‘waiting period’ between the required two requests, one has to wonder; was she even treated for the inevitable onset of fear and depression?”

Tags: assisted suicide