To the editor:

If you voted “yes” on I-1000, then you voted to have doctors lie.

I-1000 requires physicians to lie on the death certificate, putting another cause of death rather than physician-assisted suicide. If it is truly “death with dignity” then why would the doctor have to lie?

More importantly, if your doctor is willing to lie (remember that someone who lies is a liar), then what makes you think they won’t lie about other things. If they lack the ethical character to be truthful, then they may well think: six months or three years seems like such a trifling difference; let’s just tell the patient six months and be done with things. If we bump them off a bit early, that is really no big deal and think of all the money we can save the health insurance company.

I chose to not participate. I will make sure that my family goes to a physician that chooses not to participate. Shouldn’t you do the same?

Dr. Mark J. Snell

Bonney Lake