CORTNEY WEIL February 06, 2023
A medical doctor in Oregon has become the new “Dr. Death,” now that he has begun discussing suicide drugs with those who live in other states, and many pro-life advocates fear that the nascent “death tourism” industry in Oregon may soon spread elsewhere.
In 1997, Oregon passed the “Death with Dignity Act,” permitting medical doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients who meet certain criteria. According to pro-assisted-suicide group End of Life Choices, qualified patients must: be at least 18 years old, have a terminal illness and less than six months to live, be deemed “capable” of making personal decisions, and have the ability to administer the suicide drugs to themselves. However, at the time, the state restricted access to assisted suicide to Oregon residents only.
But one Portland doctor has changed all of that. Last March, Dr. Nicholas Gideonse, a 62-year-old “family medicine” doctor with supposed specialties in maternity and obstetric care at Oregon Health & Science University, settled a lawsuit with the state to end the residency restrictions, thereby creating a pathway for prospective patients in other states to acquire suicide drugs from him, so long as they spend at least 15 days in the state first.
