Call for New Yorkers to Reject Assisted Suicide

New York State remains one of the most contentious battlefields in the fight against physician assisted suicide legislation. Proponents recently claimed that a bill will pass within the next two years – despite a recent ruling by the New York Court of Appeals upholding a New York law prohibiting assisted suicide. In that ruling the justice spoke clearly stating there is no “right” to “aid in dying” under the state Constitution.

But as we know, no matter how many setbacks and defeats, no matter how many legislators and courts stand up in opposition, supporters of physician assisted suicide refuse to back down. The New York State legislative fight continues and it is becoming more public every day. One specific op-ed arguing in opposition to PAS, written as a refutation of a New York doctor’s previous op-ed in support of physician assisted suicide, really caught our eye. It’s a strong argument against physician assisted suicide legislation and we wanted to share it with you, especially one section:

“Milch [author arguing in support of PAS] asserts there are no problems with the slippery slope perceived by some and no cases of abuse in the “decades” of data from Oregon. This is not true. Dr. William Toffler, a physician at Oregon Health & Science University and co-founder of Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation (PCCEF), provided documentation of the many problems and abuses with physician assisted suicide and euthanasia.

One of his many examples was a patient, Michael Freeland, with a history of recurrent depression and recurrent lung cancer. He had contacted the PCCEF, confusing the organization with Compassion and Choices, which promotes assisted suicide. The volunteer at the PCCEF helped him to get the care he needed and relief of his pain.

Freeland had a prescription from a “death with dignity” doctor to end his life – a doctor who didn’t even recognize his patient was depressed and suffered from recurrent depression all his life. Freeland lived almost two years after he was given the lethal prescription – long past the six months specified in the so-called safeguards.”

It’s a great piece and we encourage you to read the whole thing and share it with your friends.

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