Something truly shocking happened after California legalized physician-assisted suicide in 2015. It’s a clear example of “slippery slope” arguments coming true. No longer can proponents of PAS argue that scare tactics are being used in an attempt to stop the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. As first noted by Wesley Smith in the First Things blog, California recently issued...
Read More“It’s almost never about pain” This quote in a recent Washington Post article about the debate over physician-assisted suicide instantly dispels one of the main arguments from proponents about why physician-assisted suicide should be legalized. What’s more, the quote is from a doctor who prescribes lethal prescriptions under California’s PAS law. The data backs up...
Read MoreAfrican American residents of Washington D.C. who were interviewed last week by the Washington Post about the D.C. Council’s consideration of a bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide are contending that physician-assisted suicide would unfairly treat minority communities in D.C. While that accusation may seem shocking at first, their perspective and reasoning is sound. In...
Read MoreThis week, the Denver Post published a powerful editorial that asked voters to reject Proposition 106, a ballot question that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Colorado. This is the same editorial board that supported similar legislation in the past but now changed their opinion based on significant concerns about the ballot question’s language. The editorial reiterates...
Read MoreBen Mattlin, an accomplished author, recently wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled “A Disabled Life Is a Life Worth Living.” It’s a moving piece that explores living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), including the regular struggle to overcome the physical and mental challenges he faces every day. Ben’s successes are...
Read MoreSome great news this week: the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Congress of Delegates voted overwhelmingly to oppose a resolution that would have changed AAFP’s official position on physician-assisted suicide from opposition to neutrality. Impressively, more than 2/3 of the members voted to oppose the resolution. Their continued opposition to PAS is notable. AAFP is...
Read MoreIn a widely shared video from the Baltimore Ravens, Coach Jim Harbaugh recounts a recent email he received from former Raven and currently Senior Adviser to Player Engagement O.J. Brigance. The email from O.J. begins with a powerful statement: “We are being formed, shaped and fashioned through the fire of adversity.” While O.J.’s message was about...
Read MoreOver the last few months since California legalized physician-assisted suicide,there have been numerous media accounts of assisted suicide “parties.” According to articles like this on Yahoo news, people who have chosen to end their life under the assisted suicide law are gathering friends and family one last time to celebrate before taking the lethal prescription. There are...
Read MoreA moving and thoughtful piece recently ran in the Washington Post in which the author describes the final months with her husband who had terminal cancer. It’s an important story that honestly explores what it’s like when a loved one is going through the last stages of life. The full article can be found by clicking here. Perhaps not surprisingly, positive stories about the value of time...
Read MoreAlmost a year after Governor Brown signed the bill legalizing the practice of physician-assisted suicide in the state, the law is now coming under fire from a group of doctors who are taking it to the courts. This past week a judge ruled that while he would not put the practice of physician assisted suicide...
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