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"A Portland psychiatrist is looking to give terminally ill Oregonians a place to die. Dr. Stuart Weisberg is calling it Dignity House, and it's slated for the Sellwood neighborhood up in Portland. People with less than six months to live who meet the standards of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act could pay Weisberg up to $5,000 to help them die." (KDRV)
Weisberg, who says he was inspired by Jack Kevorkian, insists he is not trying to profit from the controversial practice. But news of a suspended license could halt his plans.
We're analyzing perspectives from KDRV, OregonLive, End of Life Consultants, First Things and KGW.
A writer for OregonLive says the Oregon Medical Board recently took away Dr. Weisberg's license for improperly prescribing drugs.
"The board learned that... Weisberg had wrongly authorized a medical-marijuana card for a drug addict and had improperly prescribed a different drug for another patient."
On his website, End of Life Consultants, Dr. Weisberg writes he is still planning to host a dinner in July where he will let potential patients know what the house is all about.
"It will not be a treatise on ethics, psychology, religion or suicide. I feel like the people I invited are the minimum necessary to make this work without bumping my head up against a brick wall at every turn."
The executive director of Compassion & Choices of Oregon, a nonprofit that works to improve end-of-life care, tells Portland's NBC affiliate he thinks certain parts of Dr. Weisberg's plans are inappropriate.
"It's the commercialization of the death with dignity. He's creating a dying house, videotaping it, providing services, goods and services. I think it degrades what's going on."
A writer for First Things blog Secondhand Smoke takes it a step further, calling the dignity house idea — "absolutely disgusting".
"This is no different than Dignitas suicide clinic in Switzerland that makes a pile off of assisted suicide... once something is legal, someone is going to figure out how to make a buck."
What do you think? Is the 'death house' concept dignified, or disturbing?
WRITER: Linden Wilson
PRODUCER: Newsy Staff
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