A controversial initiative has been announced on Wednesday, concerning the approval of a doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients or patients diagnosed with less than six months to live. Former Gov. Booth Gardner, who made the proposal, considers the assisted suicide to be an act of compassion, and says this will be the last campaign he will be working on.

The so-called ‘Death with Dignity’ law has already been implemented in the state of Oregon since 1997, and the former governor’s proposal would put Washington second on the list of states that allow people with incurable or terminal disease take control of their own life and put an end to their suffering.

In order for the law to get on the November ballot, Gardner and his initiative co-workers need to gather approximately 225,000 signatures by July this year, and it will not be easy, as doctors and religious organizations are likely to criticize and strongly oppose the law, as has happened in other 21 states in the past, including Washington.

Governor Chris Gregoire said about Gardner’s initiative that she wishes him all the best, but she would never support assisted suicide. That didn’t seem to discourage Gardner though, as he thought what doesn’t work against him might just give him a chance, and Gregoire just said she did not supported it.

Should the law get approval, the patient will have to consult a physician before demanding for a doctor-assisted suicide and then wait approximately two weeks for the approval to come. The result will be the prescription of a lethal dose of barbiturates which will be administered within the next two days.

Booth Gardner was diagnosed in 1993 with Parkinson’s disease, which is a movement disorder, characterized by tremor, muscle rigidity, the slowing and even loss of physical movement. He declares himself very much aware of the necessity of such a law, although he would not qualify among the patients who can submit a request for lethal medication.

His collaboration with the Compassion and Choices group in Washington came as a result of the things he has been through: “I went from thinking I was indestructible to knowing that I was no longer indestructible” (seattlepi.com). However difficult it may be for the initiative to pass, the former governor is very likely to gather the signatures he needs, and he remains positive and optimistic about his initiative.