Ellen Barrosse [pictured left] is the retired CEO of Synchrogenix Information Strategies, a global pharmaceutical services company founded in Delaware.
As the Delaware legislature debates House Bill 140, a measure to legalize physician-assisted suicide, the discussion typically centers on individual autonomy and end-of-life dignity. However, emerging research reveals troubling and unintended consequences: The legalization of assisted suicide is associated with increases in non-assisted suicide rates across the general population — a phenomenon known as “suicide contagion.”
At a time when Delaware and the nation are experiencing record-high suicide rates, with it ranking as the second-leading cause of death for Americans aged 1-44, research from the Southern Medical Journal on U.S. states that have legalized assisted suicide shows an increase of up to 3.3 additional non-assisted suicide deaths per 100,000 residents. For Delaware, this translates to approximately 34 additional lives lost each year. The numbers may not be the same here. Instead of 34, maybe, in Delaware, only 15-20 additional non-assisted suicides will occur. We cannot know the exact number. But, based on study after study, we know the number won’t be zero.
These aren’t just statistics — they represent our neighbors, colleagues and loved ones. Some of these individuals are young people with decades of potential ahead of them, their lives cut short not by terminal illnesses but by choices made in moments of despair.
Consider the ripple effects of these losses: parents losing children, young spouses left behind, empty seats in classrooms and talents that will never fully bloom. The economic impact alone is devastating — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the lifetime cost of a single suicide at $1.3 million in lost productivity and emotional toll on families. For Delaware, this could mean tens of millions in annual societal costs, but the true price in human suffering is incalculable.
When society creates a legal framework that presents suicide as a legitimate medical response to suffering, it amplifies suicide contagion. While assisted-suicide laws are intended to apply only to terminally ill patients, the underlying message — that suicide can be a rational choice when facing hardship — appears to resonate beyond its intended scope.
This phenomenon is particularly concerning given that many individuals contemplating suicide are experiencing depression or other mental health conditions that can distort their decision making. The implications for House Bill 140 are significant. While we must compassionately address the needs of terminally ill patients, we cannot ignore evidence that assisted-suicide laws may increase suicide risk for others in our community, particularly those who are young and vulnerable.
Instead of looking at assisted suicide to help the terminally ill, we should redirect our energy toward enhancing access to palliative care and hospice services, as well as ensuring that effective pain management strategies are available to all. These approaches address the underlying concerns that drive support for assisted suicide, without risking unintended consequences for public health.
These are the facts: Palliative care doctors insist that all end-of-life pain can be managed with modern medicine. And, according to statistics from Oregon, the state with the longest-standing assisted-suicide laws, pain and suffering are not even among the top five reasons people request assisted suicide.
As our legislature considers HB 140, each representative must weigh the grave responsibility his or her vote carries. We all feel deep compassion for terminally ill patients who, without good palliative care, are facing suffering. Their desire for options is understandable. Yet a vote for this bill isn’t just a vote for assisted suicide — it’s a vote that research indicates would contribute to the deaths of as many as 34 additional Delawareans annually through suicide contagion. These are deaths that could be prevented by voting no. When the evidence so clearly shows the likely human cost of this legislation, legislators who support it must be prepared to accept the weight of these predictable consequences.
No one should have to face terminal illness without adequate support and care. But we must find ways to provide comfort, dignity and pain relief without inadvertently undermining suicide prevention efforts or sending mixed messages about the value of life — even when that life includes serious illness or disability. For Delaware, the stakes are simply too high — each of those 34 lives represents a future that deserves to be lived and a death that can be prevented by defeating House Bill 140.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.