I read with anguish Rep. Kelly Luxemberg’s story about her deceased father.
My grandmother died in a similar manner — drowning alone under suspicious circumstances after years of mental anguish and failing health. It similarly haunted my family. But I would never recommend licensing doctors to assist suicide.
The state doesn’t license anybody to make such a grave decision and should never cross that line. There is an entire malpractice industry testament to the fact that doctors are not infallible. They are regularly incompetent, make mistakes, defraud their patients and worse.
The third leading cause of death in our country is medical error, including misdiagnosis. With a growing population of elderly people, Connecticut’s residents are particularly vulnerable.
Let’s spend our scarce state resources improving access to modern palliative care techniques, increasing funding for home health-care aides and research into treatments that will improve care for the elderly, not fulfill suicide fantasies.
Leslie Wolfgang is an attorney from Waterbury where she lives with her husband and children.