This past week at an Interim Meeting, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates debated the Association’s official position on physician assisted suicide (PAS). The AMA has long upheld its opposition to PAS, but in June of this year, Delegates voted to reject the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) thoughtful recommendation...
Read MoreUPDATE FROM NEW JERSEY: The New Jersey Assembly’s Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a PAS bill. Advocates on both side of the PAS battle came out to make their case, but proponents of the dangerous legislation may have the advantage this session. Already the bill’s sponsor is claiming the Assembly could vote in favor of...
Read MoreThis past month the Economist did a series of stories analyzing both sides of the debate surrounding physician-assisted suicide. The Economist has editorialized in support of physician-assisted suicide in the past saying falsely and dangerously that: “In a secular society, it is odd to buttress the sanctity of life in the abstract by subjecting a...
Read MoreThis year supporters held off on a push for legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide (PAS) due to the contentious political landscape. With a contentious election year, PAS advocates determined that the controversial bill – with widespread opposition- could hurt their key champions as they run for re-election. All advocacy efforts from supporters were quiet while...
Read MoreIn a dangerous shift, the American Medical Association (AMA) has voted to reevaluate its long held opposition to physician-assisted suicide (PAS). This comes after the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) released its thoughtful recommendation based on two years of study to maintain its current stance in opposition of PAS. After careful consideration,...
Read MoreAs we have seen in Maryland, advocates for persons with disabilities have been strongly united in their opposition to physician-assisted suicide. And for good reason. The language proposed in many states has no protections against the dangers of coercion for our most vulnerable populations. As a result, a coalition of disability rights groups in...
Read MoreRecently, we have seen a number of states considering legislation that would legalize PAS. Across the board these bills are very similar and do not provide even adequate protections for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Most recently we have seen action taken on dangerous bills in both New Jersey and...
Read MoreGood news in the fight against PAS! Proponents have backed down and Maryland legislators have held off on filing a physician-assisted suicide bill this session. This is very likely due to an election year with legislators hesitant to take controversial votes. This is also an acknowledgement from proponents that there are strong arguments against this...
Read MoreANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland lawmakers will not consider legislation this session that would legalize the dangerous practice of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). After failing to advance the legislation for the last three sessions due to bi-partisan opposition, lawmakers have decided not to file the bill during a session that falls in an election year. “By...
Read MoreUPDATE: Good news! The Delaware House adjoined for a 6 week budget break without passing a physician-assisted suicide bill. This is great news as we know Compassion and Choices expended many resources to get it passed. The fight isn’t over. We know they’ll be back in six weeks and we have to continue to keep...
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