booth gardner - Washington Secretary of State

y voters in 30 of the state’s 39 counties, including every population center. The dissenting
counties were all in Eastern Washington, with Yakima and Benton as the most populous
opponents – and in Benton opponents carried the day by only 50.70 percent.
“This is a very special day for me,” Booth told cheering supporters at a downtown
Seattle restaurant. “And it is a very special day for all of us. This is a day that will be
remembered by history.” His voice was stronger than it had been for months. He said it
was a bittersweet moment. “This has been called ‘my final campaign.’ I have been an active
participant in politics for most of my adult life. I don’t believe politicians can ever truly
retire. The political itch simply runs too deep. At the same time, I have come to recognize
the limitations that Parkinson’s disease places upon me. I no longer have the capacity to
fully engage in the political process going full speed ahead, and that is the only way I know
how to do it. So this truly is my final campaign. … I trust that our achievement today will be
a catalyst for similar actions in other states across our country.
“On election night I do not allow myself to get too happy. For every high there is a
corresponding low, and when elected governor twice I knew much work lay ahead. But I
am exceptionally happy tonight. The difference? We the people have made law together in
a shared undertaking, and on this at least our work is done. … But know that each of you
can make a difference. So while this is my final campaign, you have many more campaigns
in you. So thank you again, each of you, and thanks to our blessed democratic process and
the wondrous will of the people.”
The opponents said they found nothing the least bit wondrous about
institutionalizing suicide in another ostensibly enlightened American state. The best they
could salvage from the outcome was the hope that the campaign would be “a wake-up call
for the state of Washington” that more must be done to provide high-quality end-of-life
care for all, said Eileen Geller, who coordinated the opposition’s efforts.
* * *
On March 5, 2009, “Death With Dignity” became law in Washington state. Eleven
weeks later, Linda Fleming of Sequim became the first person to use it. Diagnosed with a
ruthless Stage 4 pancreatic cancer the month before, the 66-year-old resolved to check
out before pain-killers glazed her brain. When she died, she was surrounded by family
members, including Seri, her beloved Chihuahua. She left behind a statement. “I am a very
spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at
the time of my death,” she wrote. “The powerful pain medications were making it difficult
to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to
increase them.” She said she was grateful for the new law, which provided her “the choice
of a death that fits my own personal beliefs.” Her two children and former husband “were
involved and supported her choice,” according to Compassion & Choices of Washington.
As of Dec. 31, 2009, the Washington State Department of Health had processed 60
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