North End Doctor Discusses ‘Death With Dignity’

Although polls suggested that voters in Massachusetts supported the “Death With Dignity Act”  -- Question 2 on the ballot Tuesday – the bill was defeated.

Had it passed, doctors would have been able to prescribe pills to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.

Dr. John Foster, medical director for North End Waterfront Health located at 332 Hanover Street, discussed the issue shortly after the election.

Does he feel it was a good idea?

“With proper safeguards, this option is valuable for a very small subset of patients with terminal illnesses that would progress with unbearable physical or psychological suffering,” Dr. Foster believes. 

“The key is to have the right type of safeguards so only appropriate patients are given this option,” he said.

What would it have meant for patients?

“Not much, really, since it is a tiny subset of patients who might make use of the provision,” Dr. Foster said.

“I personally have not seen this to be a big issue, and have only been asked once or twice in 25 years to give a patient something to hasten death (which was not done, of course),” he stated.

Dr. Foster said since this is not a provision that is being taken away from the patient and medical communities, processes of care for terminal illness would not see any change.