Saturday, May 27, 2017

Australia: Mercy Killing - Assisted Suicide Bill Defeated

Paul Russell
by Paul Russell
Last Wednesday (24th May 2017) the Tasmanian Parliament debated the latest assisted suicide and euthanasia bill to come before an Australian Parliament.
The final vote saw the bill, euphemistically entitled the ‘Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2016, defeated by a vote of two to one (16 votes to 8) in the Legislative Assembly.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Delaware Bill Seek to Legalize Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia, Applies to People with Years to Live, Is Stacked Against the Individual


For an index to Margaret Dore's legal memorandum, click here.
For the memorandum, click here For the appendix, part one, click here For the appendix, part two, click here For a bullet point hand out, click here

I.  INTRODUCTION

I am an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal. Our law is based on a similar law in Oregon. Both laws are similar to HB 160, which seeks to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Delaware.

HB 160 is stacked against the individual and a recipe for elder abuse. If enacted, it will apply to people with years or decades to live.  I urge you to reject this measure.

More coming soon

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Nevada: Dore Submissions Opposing SB 261

Carson City view
1.  One page Jeanette Hall Handout ("It's Great to Be Alive!"), available at https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/jeanette-single-flyer.pdf

2.  One page bullet point handout, "Reject SB 261, 'Choice' is a Big Fat Fib," available at https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/sb-261-dore-updated-one-page-handoiut.pdf

3.  Margaret Dore, Updated Legal Analysis, With Appendix, Opposing SB 261, available at  https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/sb-261-dore-updated-memo-appendix.pdf

Sunday, May 7, 2017

South Dakota Initiated Measure Stacked Against the Patient and a Recipe for Elder Abuse

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

To view a pdf version of this document, click the following links: indexmemo and appendix. To view a one page bullet point handout, click here.

I. INTRODUCTION

I am an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal. [1] Our law is based on a similar law in Oregon. Both laws are similar to the initiated measure, which seeks to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in South Dakota.[2]

The initiated measure is sold as a promotion of patient choice and control. The measure is instead stacked against the patient and a recipe for elder abuse.

If enacted, the measure will apply to people with years or decades to live. People with years or decades to live will be encouraged to throw away their lives. I urge you to reject this  measure.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

MN Euthanasia Bills: "Patient Choice and Control Is a Big Fat Fib"

Golden Quadriga, Minnisota State Capitol
By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

To view a pdf version, click here for the memo index, memo and appendix. For a handout, click here.

I.  INTRODUCTION

I am an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal,[1] Our law is based on a similar law in Oregon. Both laws are similar to HF 1885 and SF 1572, which seek to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined.[2]

The bills are sold as a promotion of patient choice and control, which is not true: The bills are stacked against the patient and a recipe for elder abuse.

The bills also apply to persons with years or decades to live. Passage will encourage such persons to throw away their lives. I urge you to reject HF 1885 and SF 1572.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Dore Memoradum and Legal Analysis Opposing Nevada Bill

By Margaret Dore. To view a pdf version, click here, here and here.

I.  INTRODUCTION

Jeanette Hall
I am an attorney in Washington State where assisted suicide  is legal.[1] Our law is based on a similar law in Oregon.  Both laws are similar to the proposed bill, SB 261.[2]

The proposed bill seeks to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined.  The bill sells these practices as a promotion of self-determination.  The bill is instead stacked against the patient and a recipe for elder abuse.

The bill applies to persons with years or decades to live.  Passage will encourage people with years or decades to live to throw away their lives.  I urge you to vote “No” on SB 261.

Nevada Bill: "Assisting Persons Can Have Their Own Agenda"

Margaret Dore
http://www.ktvn.com/story/35138314/right-to-die-bill-still-alive-in-legislature

Margaret Dore, a lawyer in Washington state, said [that the Nevada] bill, SB 261] would have dire consequences. Besides encouraging people who may have years or decades yet to live to give up on life, it does not consider relatives or others who may pressure someone into voluntary suicide for nefarious reasons.

“Assisting persons can have their own agendas: an adult child wanting an inheritance; a financial predator seeking financial gain; or a doctor wanting to hide malpractice,” she said in a statement.

“The bill, if passed, will create he perfect crime,” she said.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Nevada Update: Hearing Cancelled

Today's hearing on SB 261, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Nevada, was suddenly cancelled, apparently due to a lack of support. The bill, however, is not dead and could still be heard.

To read about problems with the bill, click here.


Tell the Nevada Legislature to Say "No" to SB 261

* SB 261 seeks to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally
defined.

* Passing the proposed bill will encourage people with years or decades to live to throw away their lives.

* The bill is sold as voluntary, but does not even have a provision requiring administration of the lethal dose to be voluntary.
 

* Assisting persons can have their own agendas: an adult child wanting an inheritance; a financial predator seeking financial gain; or a doctor wanting to hide malpractice.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Maine: Reject LD 347 & LD 1066

For legal analysis and back up documentation, click here and here. For a pdf handout version of this post, click here.

Highlights:

•  LD 347 & LD 1066 apply to people with years or decades to live.

• Enacting either bill will encourage people with years or decades to live to throw away their lives.

• The bills are sold as providing a voluntary patient choice, but don’t even have a requirement of  voluntariness or consent when the lethal dose is administered.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Alaska Bill 54: Bad Things Happen in the Dark

By Margaret K. Dore, Esq., for a pdf version, click here.

HB 54 legalizes physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined. The bill is based on a similar law in Oregon, which has a near complete lack of transparency.

If Alaska enacts HB 54 and follows Oregon practice, there will be a similar lack of transparency. The safely and welfare of individual patients will be unverifiable from Alaska State sources.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Assisted suicide/euthanasia laws "surrounded by a sea of propaganda"

http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/03/30/editorial/letters/state-needs-leaders-to-manage-airports/

Hawaii Bill is misleading, lacks protections

I was relieved to see a state House committee vote to delay consideration of Senate Bill 1129 [, which seeks to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Hawaii].

I attended the hearing at which [1129] was sold as completely voluntary, which isn’t true.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Hawaii Bill SB 1129 - “Choice” is a Big Fat Fib

Vote No on SB 1129 SD 2

No Assisted Suicide
No Euthanasia

Highlights:

• The act is sold as providing a voluntary patient choice, but doesn’t even have a requirement of  voluntariness, capability or consent when the lethal dose is administered. 

• People who ask about the act will lose their right to informed consent: They will lose the right to be told about alternatives for cure.

• The claim that self-administration is required is not true. The act says that a patient “may” self-administer the lethal dose. There is no language that administration “must” be by self-administration.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Washington State Update - informed decision bill has passed the Senate, is pending in the House

SB 5433 is a simple bill clarifying that persons considering assisted suicide under Washington State's Death with Dignity Act have a right to be told of their options for cure or to extend life. 

Passing the bill is consistent with how the Act was marketed to voters, as providing choice for the individual.

The bill has now passed the Washington State Senate and has been referred to the House Committee on Health Care and Wellness. 

Thursday, March 16, 2017

When Euthanasia Becomes Murder

In the Netherlands an elderly woman suffering from dementia was held down against her protests as a lethal injection was administered by a doctor. In the days before her “euthanasia” she repeatedly said “I don’t want to die.” The doctor was cleared of wrongdoing.

In the Netherlands an elderly woman suffering from dementia was held down against her protests as a lethal injection was administered by a doctor. In the days before her “euthanasia” she repeatedly said “I don’t want to die.” The doctor was cleared of wrongdoing.
Another elderly woman in the Netherlands was euthanized due to her supposed “unhappiness” about living in a nursing home. This despite testimony from the staff that she was often “content and friendly.”