« letters to the editor »

Speak Your Mind!  Write a Letter to the Editor!

Letters to the editor are a direct and powerful way to raise awareness, attract supporters and volunteers, and respond to the opposition's arguments when they appear in newspapers. Even better, letters to the editor cost nothing and provide free publicity about our mission.


Tips for Getting Your Letter Published

  • Most editors request that letters be limited to 200 words. They may make exceptions, but longer letters are less likely to be published and may be edited down. Shorter letters are much more likely to be published in their entirety. Stay on message and be succinct. Make sure your most important message points appear in the first paragraph.
  • Local papers and community newspapers like submissions from local residents and are more likely to publish them. Even if the circulation is relatively small, people will be influenced by reading the views of their neighbors. One important rule: don't submit a letter to a local paper if you are not from that community. (For instance, don't submit a letter to the North Seattle Herald-Outlook if you live in Tacoma.) Large papers - such as the Seattle Times, the Post-Intelligencer, or the Everett Herald - will accept letters from throughout the region.
  • Be prepared to respond immediately to an article or letter. To be considered in a daily paper, emailed letters to the editor should be submitted within a day of the story's publication. Weeklies allow more time, but letters should still be sent well before the following week's publication. Again, follow the newspaper's guidelines.
  • Don't be disappointed if your letter does not get printed. Newspapers get many letters every day and can't print all of them. Most papers won't print the same writers over and over again. Therefore, if you have had a letter published recently, try to get a friend or co-worker to sign the next one.
  • Finally, don't forget to mention that you are a supporter of Compassion & Choices of Washington. If possible, mention our website - www.CandCofWA.org - in your letter.

^ top


Links to Major Newspapers

Every newspaper will print their guidelines for submitting letters to the editor in their print edition and on their website. Make sure you submit your letter to the right person or address and in the proper format (especially if they prefer emailed letters). Don't forget to include your name, address, and phone number.

By using the links below, you can see the guidelines for writing letters to the editor for several major newspapers in our state.

^ top


Language Guide

  • Use the terms "hastened death" or "aid in dying," not "assisted suicide." "Suicide" is a powerful word that conjures up images of violent death. Hastening death is simply not the same as suicide. Suicide by a healthy person is an irrational decision. Terminally ill people who want the choice of hastened death do not want to die but, by definition, they are dying. They simply want the option to avoid unbearable suffering.
  • Avoid the word "euthanasia." "Euthanasia" is a particularly loaded word because of its use by Nazis as a euphemism for the deliberate killing of those they found "unworthy" - including Jews, homosexuals, and people with disabilities. Aid in dying is a voluntary patient-driven decision, not an act of homicide.

^ top


Sample letters

As your article clearly states, dealing with "the ravages of Parkinson's" is difficult enough, but the possibility of having to endure a lingering dying process is a realistic yet unacceptable prospect. Former Gov. Booth Gardner and so many others cannot avoid this under our present law.

The Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which enables terminally ill, competent adults to choose the option of assisted death, has been exemplary in its operation since 1997. Safeguards ensure that only qualified patients, who meet all of its requirements, are able to use it.

Washington State needs a similar option for the benefit of those wishing to avoid a prolonged and painful dying process.

My mother died from cancer at the age of 51. I understand the impact that terminal illness has on a family as I watched her illness progress to unbearable pain and suffering. It was a very difficult road to travel.

My hope is that an initiative is passed in Washington State that allows me the freedom to choose a dignified dying process. I may not choose assisted death in the end, but knowing that I have that right would give me the strength and support to make informed choices for myself and my family.

Sean Stearns
Seattle

Kudos to former Gov. Booth Gardner for sharing his personal struggle and for sharing his precious time working to ensure that the citizens of Washington are given dignity at the end of their lives.

I believe the majority of us would want a voice in how and when we die, should we find ourselves suffering greatly at the end of our lives. This is not playing God any more than taking treatment to alter the natural course of a disease is playing God.

This is not "killing." The patient himself or herself makes the decision and self-administers. This is not suicide - the irrational act of an otherwise healthy person who sees no other way out of his or her existential suffering. It is the reasoned decision of a mentally competent, terminally ill adult.

We all have a vision of how we hope to die when our time comes. Some will choose to pursue any available treatment; some of us will endure severe pain, believing it to be redemptive and ennobling.

And many of us will want to be able to direct our own dying when our suffering outweighs our quality of life. All of those choices should be honored.

Arline R. Hinckley
Seattle

^ top