Re: “,” June 14 Kathleen Parker column.
Kathleen Parker’s reliance on false analogy to reach her conclusions calls into question her credentials. Given the word limitation for letters to the editor, one cannot deconstruct every error, but a major one is her implication that because Oregon has a higher suicide rate than many states, it must be causally related to that state’s aid-in-dying law. Parker fails to note at least four other states, none of which have such laws, have higher suicide rates, and studies have shown drug abuse and gun ownership, not poor health, are among the major contributing factors. Instead of relying on a dictionary for her facts, Parker should look at the numerous peer-reviewed studies that show laws like Oregon’s work well with no proven cases of abuse. If Parker is opposed to medical aid in dying, that is her privilege, but poor research has no place in professional journalism.
Roland L. Halpern, Denver
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