Terminal patients in rural Washington look for doctors willing to help with suicide

In Washington state, where legalized physician-assisted suicide took effect just two months ago, debates over the rural-urban divide in health care have taken a twist: Many terminally-ill patients say they cannot find doctors willing to prescribe the lethal dosage of barbituates allowed by state law.

The law, which went into effect March 5, allows the medication to be prescribed if two doctors attest that a patient will die of a disease. "But outside the larger population centers around Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia, many physicians are unwilling," writes Kim Murphy in the Los Angeles Times. "That leaves residents east of the Cascades who choose to utilize the statute with the same problem women seeking abortions in conservative rural communities have faced: It's legal, but health providers' moral qualms mean it's essentially unavailable."

The American Medical Association and other critics say pain management is a better solution, while supporters of the law contend pain management is not always realistic. In rural Kennewick, Wash., information about the law was presented by the Benton Franklin County Medical Society at a gathering of doctors, but the presentation was met with silence. "There was no feedback," said executive director Nicole Austin. "We're trying to walk a very neutral line. It's their decision as physicians if they choose to participate. I sense that it will be a challenge in this community." (Read more)