The coalition was excited to announce this month that because of our combined efforts in opposition to physician-assisted suicide (PAS) legislation in Maryland, this dangerous legislation had failed. After a strong group of our coalition members testified at the House hearing, it was apparent that neither the House nor the Senate had the votes in...
Read MoreIn a widespread reversal of opinion, doctors in Canada are backing away from supporting and implementing physician-assisted suicide. According to the National Post, in Ontario, one of the few provinces to track this type of information, 54 doctors have asked to be either permanently removed or put on temporary hold on a voluntary list of...
Read MoreOver the last few years, the price of the most commonly prescribed “death with dignity” drug, Seconal, rose significantly and currently costs approximately $3,000 per prescription. Doctors who support physician-assisted suicide argued this was too expensive for most patients. A group of those doctors came together informally to create a new lethal drug cocktail designed...
Read MoreStatement the Judicial Proceedings committee Re: Senate Bill 354 – “End-Of-Life Option Act” Tuesday, March 7, 2017 OPPOSE Good afternoon Chairman Zirkin and distinguished members of the Judicial Proceedings committee. My name is O. J. Brigance and I am submitting written testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 354, the End-Of-Life Option Act. I am compelled...
Read MoreWe’ve written before about how physician-assisted suicide actually plays out and how undignified it really is for patients. In that piece, we detail the typical prescription a patient receives to kill themselves – between 90-100 pills (9-10 grams) of a barbiturate called Seconal. For a drug that is normally prescribed in doses of 100 mg...
Read MoreThe fact that no major nationwide disability rights group supports physician-assisted suicide should be a clear sign that there are significant problems associated with the legislation that’s been filed in Maryland. In many cases, people with disabilities have faced systemic discrimination in the healthcare system, often with healthcare professionals and other caretakers who do not...
Read MoreAs the General Assembly again debates legislation (HB 370/SB 354) to legalize physician-assisted suicide, it’s crucial for legislators to understand exactly how “death with dignity” really happens. For most, it is not at all what they expect at first consideration. In fact, once they learn more about the process, it’s clear PAS is anything but...
Read MoreHere’s how to help right now Last week, legislation was filed in the Maryland General Assembly that seeks to legalize the practice of physician-assisted suicide. These bills – House Bill 370 and Senate Bill 354 – which are often referred to as “Death with Dignity” or “Aid in Dying” by its proponents are almost exactly...
Read MoreRecently, numerous accounts in the media and online have indicated that the American Medical Association (AMA) is taking steps toward changing their official policy position on physician-assisted suicide from opposed to neutral. Fortunately, this chatter is inaccurate. In fact, although the AMA is currently considering the policy landscape in the U.S. surrounding PAS, they have...
Read MoreAs the Maryland General Assembly prepares to again debate whether to legalize physician-assisted suicide, there is a behind the scenes argument about how to refer to this practice – “Death with Dignity”? “Physician-Assisted Suicide”? “Aid in Dying”? “Doctor prescribed suicide”? What may seem trivial is actually remarkably important to truly understanding the impact of legalizing...
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