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...
Read MoreWe have some big news to report out of New Mexico. The New Mexico Supreme Court recently ruled that terminally ill residents do not have a constitutionally protected right to physician assisted suicide. This decision by the state Supreme Court is a major win for those fighting to prevent the legalization of PAS. The case...
Read MoreWe have some great news to share with you. At midnight on Monday, April 11th the Maryland General Assembly’s 2016 legislative session ended with no action taken on the proposed physician assisted suicide legislation – HB 404/SB 418. As we told you earlier this spring, the Senate version of the bill was withdrawn from consideration...
Read MoreOur effort to defeat physician assisted suicide legislation in Maryland was undertaken by a broad coalition with a range of important concerns brought to bear. Because of that breadth and depth of concern, we were able to defeat the legislation for now. But make no mistake, the proponents of this legislation will be back, and...
Read MoreWe are regaining momentum. After our Maryland House and Senate hearings, conveying strong opposition with clear and cogent points, we have plenty of work left to do. But we are confident in our progress, and the opposition to these proposals around the country is harder and harder to ignore. Just ask the people of Colorado. ...
Read MoreDuring the House committee hearing on HB 404, the lead proponent of the bill from Compassion and Choices (formerly the Hemlock Society) argued with a straight-face that requiring a patient to receive a mental health evaluation before they could qualify for physician assisted suicide would “unnecessarily slowdown” a patient’s access to assisted suicide. They cited...
Read MoreProponents of physician-assisted suicide struggled to answer the tough questions thrown at them at yesterday’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing on SB 418. The Committee met late into the night with Senators raising significant concerns with the bill and its lack of protections. The message from proponents, led by national group Compassion & Choices, was...
Read MoreRequiring a professional mental health evaluation would “unnecessarily slow down” patient’s access to physician assisted suicide. Terminal patients are in pain so this bill must be passed. [Including] too many regulatory requirements [in this bill] would make it impossible for a dying person to access death with dignity. It’s not falsifying the death certificate [by...
Read MoreToday we are flagging some news that shows yet another fully unsettled debate over assisted suicide. In addition to being a dangerous policy, some states consider assisted suicide to be illegal. That isn’t stopping proponents of assisted suicide from trying to force the issue. One such attempt will come soon in New York, which currently...
Read MoreWe want to note an encouraging report that we caught wind of last week. Per CBS News, Medicare will now cover life counseling for terminally ill patients. Highlighting the story of one patient and coverage of her counseling, this story points out how we could be witnessing a major breakthrough in end-of-life care. From the...
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