BRATTLEBORO — Death with dignity? Sounds good to me.
But as a matter of health care policy, don't you think that we should get Vermonters on board with advance directives first? We should embark on a legislative dialogue about death with dignity only once we have demonstrated that we have put into place practical and effective options that encourage Vermonters to make informed end-of-life choices. We have not provided the resources or support to do this. And as a result, we are not ready to discuss death with dignity; we can only blame ourselves.
To be an effective piece of public policy, the work in Vermont with advance directives is nowhere near complete. Yet, when they are put into place, the results are awesome, and they empower patients, families, and providers. Efforts to promote advance directives need our support because they are examples of effective health care policy - saving money and providing better options. Not a bad combo, if you ask me!
This is a time for advocates for end-of-life choices to acknowledge their many common interests and work together. I could not think of a worse time in our efforts for health care reform than to force a divisive discussion about death with dignity. We must have that discussion at a later date, but only after we have accomplished the greater good for the greater number of Vermonters.