Subject: New Research Shows Assisted Suicide Targets Women
Source: HealthScoutNews; October 17, 2001

New Research Shows Assisted Suicide Targets Women

Colorado Springs, CO -- "Mercy killing" is portrayed by euthanasia
advocates as one person's desperate bid to end a loved one's suffering.

But new research has found two-thirds of those whose lives are ended that
way are women, and the researcher says that raises a troubling question:
Are women's lives worth less than men's when it comes to long-term care_

"In the United States, euthanasia tends to be presented as an issue of
self-determination, autonomy, choice," said Silvia Sara Canetto, lead
author of the study and an associate professor of psychology at Colorado
State University. "But when you actually look at what happens, you have a
person who is very ill, dependent on others for care, vulnerable and
exhausted. If you perceive yourself as a burden, or others perceive you as
being a burden, you could be seen as a good candidate for death."

As a result of her research, Canetto said she believed mercy killing and
the further legalization of assisted suicide are dangerous, particularly
to older women.

"Many women do not have the resources, the sense of entitlement or the
power and freedom to make the choice they desire, especially when they are
sick and disabled," Canetto said. "And the freedom to be dead is a very
peculiar freedom."

Faye Grish, the president of The Hemlock Society, an organization that
advocates legalizing assisted suicide, disagreed with Canetto's
conclusions.

For her study, which appears in the most recent issue of Omega: Journal of
Death and Dying, Canetto reviewed records of 112 mercy killings from 1960
to 1993 kept by The Hemlock Society. The pro-euthanasia organization
defines mercy killing as "the killing of a terminally or incurably ill
person to put him or her out of perceived misery" without necessarily
knowing "the intent of the suffering person." Its records include news
reports and direct reports of mercy killings.

Canetto found that most mercy killings involved both sexes -- a woman and
a man -- as opposed to two men or two women. Typically, a child killed a
parent, or one spouse killed the other.

However, in 70 percent of cases, the man did the mercy killing, she said.

"Men are more likely to kill themselves through suicide, kill others
through homicide, and more likely to do what they consider mercy killing,"
Canetto noted.

About 92 percent of those who died were ill, Canetto added. And of those
who were ill, about 35 percent were reportedly terminal, 15 percent were
not, and the nature of the illness was unknown for the rest. People were
most often killed with guns, followed by suffocation and poisoning.

In 85 percent of the cases, no one knows if the person asked to be killed.
However, even a request to die doesn't necessarily justify taking a life,
Canetto argued. People may say they want to die because they are depressed
and exhausted from an illness and are seeking comfort.

"When someone says, 'I can't stand it. I want to die,' there are many
different levels to that," Canetto said. "What they may want is
reassurance. They might be saying, 'Even though I can no longer walk, even
though I am incontinent, I am still of value to you'."

Previous research has shown physical suffering is not the primary
predictor of suicidal thoughts, Canetto added. Such psychological factors
as depression, loneliness and the perception of being a burden weigh more
heavily.

Nancy Valko, a leading pro-life nurse involved in end-of-life issues, says
Canetto's research would be even more alarming if it involved figures of
those killed by euthanasia advocate Jack Kevorkian.

"The differences are even more striking when you look at Kevorkian's
victims," Valko observed. "The women greatly outnumber the men."

Valko's own experience provides anecdotal evidence that falls in line with
Canetto's research.

"When I worked in oncology and hospice, this was very apparent. When a man
was dying, it was not unusual to see the wife and even ex-wives -- as well
as other family -- at the bedside. In contrast, it was just as about as
common to see a dying woman who was divorced and alone. It was also
unfortunately common to hear her children say that they found it too hard
to see their Mom this way and that they would rather remember her 'the way
she used to be,'" Valko explained.

Exactly why this happens is hard to figure. Is it because caregiving is
usually performed by women_ Are women apt to feel-or made to feel-more of
a burden because they are being cared for instead of providing the
caregiving_ Do men generally have a more difficult time dealing with
death_

"I don't profess to have the answer but I do know that the support
surrounding the dying person is crucial to his or her well-being," Valko
concluded. "No one should ever have to die feeling alone or unwanted."