West Virginia: Prohibiting Assisted Suicide

By Curtis Johnson. Original publication 10/31/24.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The way you choose to deal with a terminal illness is on the ballot in West Virginia.

Lawmakers, in March proposed a state constitutional amendment to prohibit medically assisted suicide, also referred to as medical aid in dying and death with dignity.

WSAZ found assisted suicide is already against West Virginia law. So the station we reached out to a sponsor of the legislation, Kanawha County Del. Chris Pritt [pictured here].

“With a law already on the books that prohibits this, why pass an amendment?” asked WSAZ reporter Curtis Johnson.

“Things can happen at the drop of dime in any given legislative session, and what this does is it makes sure that we, to the extent that any laws would be attempted to be passed, this would put a brake on it,” Pritt replied.

Ontario's Euthanasia Report: The Poor and Those Who Lack Housing Are Most at Risk

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Ontario MAiD Death Review report has three parts (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3).

Janet Eastman has written an excellent commentary on the report of the Ontario Chief Coroner concerning the experience with euthanasia in Ontario, Canada's largest province. Eastman's article was published in The Telegraph on October 17, 2024. 

Eastman focuses on the Coroner's report in relation to the upcoming assisted dying debate in the UK. Eastman writes:

Assisted dying is used by patients in Canada because they are poor and lack housing, a major report has found.

The first official report into assisted dying deaths in Ontario, which has been obtained by the Telegraph, found vulnerable people face “potential coercion” or “undue influence” to seek out the practice.

Sixteen experts across medicine, nursing and law identified people whose lives may have been wrongly terminated at the hands of the state, where the action is called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Opinion: Michigan Right-to-Die Legislation Must Consider Concerns of African Americans

In the 1990s, Royal Oak’s Dr. Jack Kevorkian put a national spotlight on the debate over the right of terminally ill patients to die with the aid of a physician. As Democrats reclaim their majority in the state Legislature, Michigan may be at the epicenter of this conversation again. 

Last fall, a group of Democrats introduced the Michigan Death With Dignity Act, which would legalize physician-assisted dying, also known as medical aid in dying [, assisted suicide and euthanasia].

Patients with a terminal condition, expected to die within six months, would be able to request that a participating doctor write them a prescription for drugs that, when self-administered and ingested, would allow the patient to die on the date of their choosing.

Terri Laws [pictured here] is an associate professor of African and African American studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn:

Many Michiganders will see this legislation as reasonable and compassionate. To others, however, often people of color, this legislation is more complicated.

Some fear doctors and insurance companies may deny them lifesaving treatments and steer them toward assisted suicide instead. Others are concerned that legalization will normalize this type of death as the “correct” way to approach the end of life, when their cultural beliefs and practices tell them otherwise.

Quebec Scheduled to Begin Granting Requests for Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia (MAID)

By Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press 

MONTREAL — Quebecers who want to arrange a medically assisted death before their condition leaves them unable to grant consent can do so as of next month, the province announced Saturday as it unveiled details of a plan to grant such requests without waiting for Ottawa to update the country’s criminal code.

[Quebec Premier Francois Legault, left, walks to a cabinet meeting with Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube in Quebec City]

Quebec’s government said last month it would stop waiting for the federal government to implement the requested amendments and forge ahead with plans to grant early MAID requests. On Saturday, the province announced such requests could be granted as of Oct. 30.

New Jersey Update

By Alex Schadenberg (pictured at right)*

The New Jersey 2023 assisted suicide report states that there were 101 reported assisted suicide deaths in 2023 up from 91 in 2022. Assisted suicide started in New Jersey on April 12, 2019.  According to the report:

101 people were known to have died by assisted suicide, 

13 people received the lethal poison but died a natural death, 

3 people received the lethal poison but had not died and 

2 people received the lethal poison and died but the cause of death is unknown.

When the cause of death is unknown, it usually means that no report was submitted. Therefore it may have been an assisted suicide death, but no report was filed.

Ex-Doctor Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Connection with Suicide of Upstate New York Woman

BY  MICHAEL HILL 

Updated 2:57 PM MDT, September3, 2024

KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) — An 85-year-old former doctor from Arizona charged for his role in the suicide of a woman in an upstate New York motel room pleaded guilty to manslaughter Tuesday under an agreement that spares him from prison.

Stephen Miller, of Tucson, was arrested earlier this year on a charge of second-degree manslaughter under a provision of New York law that allows the charge for intentionally causing or aiding another person’s suicide.

Under a plea agreement, Miller was sentenced to five years of probation after his guilty plea in state court. His attorney said Miller is infirm and did not want to die in prison.

Press Release: Bill Seeking to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Remains Undecided by Delaware Governor Carney (pictured below)

July 2, 2024 -- According to the American Medical Association, assisted suicide occurs when a doctor facilitates a person's death by providing the means or information to enable another person to perform a life-ending act. Euthanasia is the administration of a lethal agent to kill another person.

Persons assisting a suicide or euthanasia can have an agenda. Reported motives have included: financial gain; the “thrill” of getting other people to kill themselves; and wanting to see another person die.

The proposed Delaware Act (HB 140) has an application process to obtain a lethal dose of medication. Once the lethal dose is issued by the pharmacy, there is no required oversight. No witness, not even a doctor or other medical person is required to be present at the patient's death.

Colorado Governor Signs Bill Reducing Patient Protections

Governor Polis (pictured here) signed SB068, an amendment to Colorado’s End of Life Options Act (assisted suicide and euthanasia) into law on June 5, 2024. 

The bill reduces the waiting period for patients seeking an aid-in-dying prescription (assisted suicide and euthanasia), from 15 to 7 days, increases the number of practitioners who can participate in the law, and allows providers to waive the waiting period if the patient is not likely to survive more than 48 hours and meets all other qualifications. 

New York Act Fails to Advance

The proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act, which had sought to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in New York State, was first introduced in the New York State Senate by former Staten Island Sen. Diane Savino, — and in the Assembly by Westchester County Assembly member Amy Paulin, — during the 2015-2016 legislative session. 

The legislation has never advanced past the committee state in either the Senate or Assembly.

Beyond Terminal Illness. The Widening Scope of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the US.

Please find Dr. Komrad's explanatory note to colleagues below.

Physician-assisted suicide (PAS)—commonly but misleadingly called “medical aid in dying”1—is now legal in 11 jurisdictions in the US. PAS remains an area of great controversy among physicians, medical ethicists, and various patient advocacy groups, as evidenced by numerous opinion pieces in Psychiatric Times.2,3 While we recognize that individuals of good conscience may differ on the ethics of PAS, we have consistently maintained—as the American Medical Association has opined—that4:

Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.

New Hampshire Senate Kills Bill

https://www.concordmonitor.com/NH-Senate-kills-MAID-55151269

After months of intense public debate, with Granite Staters on both sides of the legislation that would allow medical aid in dying [meaning assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia], packing the room at every public hearing, the Senate voted on Thursday to kill the bill  [HB 1283] ....

The bill, which was struck down in the senate with a vote of 17-7 and referred to an interim study, proposed granting individuals aged 18 and above, diagnosed with a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less, and having sound mental capacity, the option to end their lives without suffering from the disease. ...

From the time the bill was introduced, legislators said they were flooded with testimonies both in favor of and against it. According to the state website, 658 individuals voiced their support, while 1,125 testified against it...

California Senator Withdraws Expansion Bill

Senator Catherine Blakespear has removed proposed Senate Bill 1196, seeking to expand assisted suicide and euthanasia in California, from consideration prior to its first hearing.  

"At this point, there is a reluctance from many around me to take up this discussion, and the future is unclear,” Blakespear said in a statement. “The topic, however, remains of great interest to me and to those who have supported this bill thus far.”

Senator Susan Eggman, who authored the original act in 2016, commented that pushing forward now would create a risk of pushback. She stated:

A Short History of Assisted Suicide; Is Canadian Style Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Coming to California?

By Diane Coleman 

A California State Senator, Catherine Blakespear, introduced a bill (SB 1196) earlier this month that resembles Canada’s law and, here in the U.S., reflects the broad agenda openly espoused by the Hemlock Society and Final Exit Network. The agenda of these organizations has long included eligibility for people with non-terminal conditions and disabilities.

When Not Dead Yet activists joined me in attending Jack “Dr. Death” Kevorkian’s trial in the late 1990s, Hemlock’s executive director Faye Girsh was there supporting him. Two thirds of his body count consisted of people with non-terminal disabilities. Girsh also advocated eligibility for people with cognitive disabilities and dementia, with or without consent. Leaders also advocated active euthanasia and “mercy killing.”

West Virginia to Vote on Landmark Constitutional Amendment Outlawing Medically Assisted Suicide in November 2024 Election

WV News Report 

West Virginia citizens will soon have a say on a constitutional change. 

This change aims to ban "medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing." This is the first time a US state has considered a constitutional ban on this medical practice. It is often called assisted suicide or aid-in-dying. Amendment 1 is related to this ban. Citizens will vote on it on November 5, 2024.

My Personal Experience With Assisted Suicide

By Margaret Dore

In another life, I talked three young men down from suicide.

What I think happened is that a final exit network type person had given them my phone number by mistake. This was before the age of caller ID.

I was contacted by each of the three young men over a period of time, each one wanting assistance to kill himself. 

Indiana Resolution Opposing Assisted Suicide Passes in Committee

Alex Schadenberg, 

Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Indiana Resolution 17 titled: A Concurrent Resolution opposing and condemning assisted suicide passed on Wednesday February 29 [2024] passed on the Indiana Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services by a vote of 9 to 2. The following is the wording of the resolution:

Whereas, The State of Indiana has an unqualified interest in the preservation of human life and the State's prohibition on assisting suicide in IC 35-42-1-2.5 both reflects and advances its commitment to the State's interest;

Virginia Assisted Suicide Bill Will Carry Over to 2025, Other Bills Dead

More good news from the east coast! Virginia bill SB 280, which had passed in the Senate, failed to move forward in the House – despite last ditch efforts – and will carry over to 2025. Many thanks to the Virginia coalition which did outstanding work to prevent passage.

In the meantime, the following bills are now declared dead for 2024 and will NOT carry over to the new year. 

24 Years Ago, Jeanette Hall Had Terminal Cancer And Wanted Assisted Suicide

By Alex Schadenberg , material contributed by Margaret Dore

I was speaking this weekend in Oregon and Dr Kenneth Stevens gave us an incredible gift by bring Jeanette Hall to the event.

(Picture: Alex Schadenberg, Jeanette Hall, Kenneth Stevens, Wesley Smith)

Oregon's assisted suicide law came into effect in 1998. In 2000, Jeanette Hall had cancer and she was give six to 12 months to live. Jeanette made a settled decision to use Oregon's assisted suicide law in lieu of being treated for cancer. Her doctor, Kenneth Stevens, who opposed assisted suicide, thought that her chances with treatment were good. Over several weeks, he stalled her request for assisted suicide and finally convinced her to be treated for cancer.

Nine States Have Strengthened Their Laws Against Assisted Suicide

Alabama Governor
Kay Ivey

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

In the last thirteen years, at least nine states have strengthened their laws against assisted suicide and/or euthanasia. They are:

1.  Alabama:  In 2017, Alabama enacted the Assisted Suicide Ban Act;
2.  Arizona:  In 2014, Arizona strengthened its law against assisted suicide.
3.  Georgia:  In 2012, Georgia strengthened its law against assisted suicide.
4.  Idaho:  On April 5, 2011, Idaho strengthened its law against assisted suicide.
5.  Indiana:  On January 29, 2024, the Indiana House and Senate supported a joint resolution opposing  and condemning assisted medical suicide.

Indiana House Resolution Opposing Assisted Suicide; Senate Concurring

To view the entire document, click here.

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, the Senate concurring: 

SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly strongly opposes and condemns assisted medical suicide because the Indiana General Assembly has an unqualified interest in the preservation of human life. 

SECTION 2. That the Indiana General Assembly strongly opposes and condemns assisted medical suicide because anything less than a prohibition leads to foreseeable abuses and eventually to euthanasia by devaluing human life, particularly the lives of the terminally ill, elderly, disabled, and depressed whose lives are of no less value or quality than any other citizen of this state.