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.
By Diane Coleman [pictured here]
Three days ago, Amber Smock, Vice President of Advocacy at Access Living, was quoted extensively in a Chicago Tribune article about Illinois’ assisted suicide bill. Today, the editorial board of the Tribune took a position opposed to the bill.
The March 5th article, “Should Illinois become a ‘right-to-die’ state? Lawmakers consider end-of-life option for terminally ill adults,” covered both sides. Here is the segment giving Access Living’s perspective as a disability rights organization:
Yet some disability rights advocates warn that the measure could put vulnerable populations at risk, including seniors, disabled folks and people with mental health issues.
By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.
Roger Hanshaw [photo at right] who is the Speaker of the House in West Virginia has sponsored House Joint Resolution (HJR 28) to add protection from assisted suicide in the state Bill of Rights. HRJ 28 states the following:
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia amending Article III thereof by adding thereto a new section, designated section twenty-three, relating to the protection from medically-assisted suicide or euthanasia in West Virginia; numbering and designating such proposed amendment; and providing a summarized statement of the purpose of such proposed amendment.
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;
In the meantime, the following bills are now declared dead for 2024 and will NOT carry over to the new year.
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.
To view full article click here.
by Sapna Bansil, Capital News Service
Lawmakers have tabled a fiercely debated bill that would have granted terminally ill Maryland residents the right to end their lives, a setback to supporters who hoped it would finally pass this year.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, said in a press conference Friday that the measure had not won enough support among the 11 members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to move forward this term. Ferguson indicated he was unwilling to bring the bill for a vote if it was likely to fail.
“For this year, it’s certainly over,” said Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith, D-Montgomery, noting the bill would have fallen one or two votes shy of passing his committee.
By Danielle J. Brown, February 26, 2024
The issue has come to Maryland lawmakers before, and some find it hard to decide whether to allow a physician to aid in the intentional death of a terminally-ill patient at the patient’s request.
While both versions of the bill, SB 443 and HB 403, have been discussed in committee hearings this year, neither has come to a vote yet. Smith on Friday essentially gave members of the Judicial Proceedings panel a deadline to make a decision.
37-year-old mother Kayla Pollock is now paralyzed from the neck down after receiving the mRNA injection and says her life has become a “living hell.”
According to a report from The Liberty Daily, however, doctors have offered to “make up for it” by euthanizing the young mom.
By Lisa Blumberg
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/02/23/psychiatrists-oppose-suicide-bill
Photo from last year: O. J. Brigance, a former Ravens football player who has the neurodegenerative disease ALS, waits to testify against a bill to legalize physician-assisted death last year.
This bill would allow physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill and mentally capable adults who request to die. The practice has alternately been known as “physician-assisted suicide,” “medical aid in dying” or “death with dignity.” However, its essence remains: It involves medical professionals as active agents in the death of patients. The bill, as written, supports a practice that is contrary to the professional philosophy of psychiatrists, our training and the reasons why we choose this occupation.
By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA
The adoption of a motion this week allowed this Bill to be expedited. Note that there was a failed attempt by the Bloc Québécois to add the issue of advance requests to C-62.
We thank psychiatrists Pierre Gagnon and Sonu Gaind who spent Valentine's evening participating in the only meeting of the Standing Committee on Health studying the Bill.
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| Alabama Governor Kay Ivey |