Updates on Advancement of Assisted Suicide Laws
Update on Extreme Bill introduced in New Mexico
By Alex Schadenberg 2019 (Euthanasia Prevention Coalition)
New Mexico’s assisted suicide House Bill (HB) 90, is the most extreme assisted suicide bill that I have ever seen. After reading HB 90 I asked the question: Is the assisted suicide lobby behind HB 90 or is the author of the bill, Deborah Armstrong (Dem), more radical than the rest of the suicide lobby?
The leading suicide lobby group published a guideline on January 1, 2019 calling on fewer restrictions and wider definitions for assisted suicide laws in the US. In her article, “End-of-Life option laws should avoid needless red tape,” Kim Callinan, CEO of the suicide lobby group, Compassion & Choices (formerly known as the Hemlock Society), argues that assisted suicide laws require fewer regulations.
Callinan writes: If lawmakers want to improve medical aid in dying laws, then let’s address the real problem: There are too many regulatory roadblocks already! I am not suggesting changing the eligibility requirements, as our opposition will suggest. I am merely suggesting that we drop some of the regulations that put unnecessary roadblocks in place.
Callinan continues her article by arguing that waiting periods for assisted suicide should be eliminated and claims that there have been no problems with assisted suicide laws.
The New Mexico assisted suicide bill was recently amended to remove assisted suicide by telemedicine but it continues to be very radical.
House Bill 90:
1. Allows nurses and physician assistants to participate in assisted suicide by defining “health care provider” to include: a licensed physician, a licensed osteopathic physician, a licensed nurse, and a licensed physician assistant.
2. Does not require the person to “self-administer.” The bill states “may self-administer” meaning that euthanasia is possible.
3. Reduces waiting period to 48 hours to receive the lethal drugs.
4. Allows people with mental health disorders to die by assisted suicide by enabling licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, master social worker, psychiatric nurse practitioner or professional clinical mental health counselor to approve assisted suicide for people with mental health disorders.
5. Requires health care providers to falsify the death certificate.
6. Removes conscience rights for health care providers who object to assisted suicide by requiring them to refer patients to a health care provider who is willing to prescribe assisted suicide.
7. Bases decisions on a “good faith compliance.” It is impossible to prove that someone who participated in the act did not do so in “good faith.” Years ago I stated that the suicide lobby would expand the parameters for prescribing lethal drugs in the future. Callinan is saying in her article that she believes the future is now.
The decision to expand assisted suicide is evident in the new assisted suicide bills. Delaware defines assisted suicide as palliative care, which is part of a long-term goal of normalizing it. Oregon has a few bills to expand assisted suicide laws and New Mexico has the most extreme bill that I have ever seen in the US. Most of the bills attack conscience rights for medical professionals by forcing doctors who object to assisted suicide to refer their patients to a pro-assisted-suicide doctor.
Two thousand nineteen is a watershed year for assisted suicide legislation in the US.
By Alex Schadenberg 2019 (Euthanasia Prevention Coalition)
New Mexico’s assisted suicide House Bill (HB) 90, is the most extreme assisted suicide bill that I have ever seen. After reading HB 90 I asked the question: Is the assisted suicide lobby behind HB 90 or is the author of the bill, Deborah Armstrong (Dem), more radical than the rest of the suicide lobby?
The leading suicide lobby group published a guideline on January 1, 2019 calling on fewer restrictions and wider definitions for assisted suicide laws in the US. In her article, “End-of-Life option laws should avoid needless red tape,” Kim Callinan, CEO of the suicide lobby group, Compassion & Choices (formerly known as the Hemlock Society), argues that assisted suicide laws require fewer regulations.
Callinan writes: If lawmakers want to improve medical aid in dying laws, then let’s address the real problem: There are too many regulatory roadblocks already! I am not suggesting changing the eligibility requirements, as our opposition will suggest. I am merely suggesting that we drop some of the regulations that put unnecessary roadblocks in place.
Callinan continues her article by arguing that waiting periods for assisted suicide should be eliminated and claims that there have been no problems with assisted suicide laws.
The New Mexico assisted suicide bill was recently amended to remove assisted suicide by telemedicine but it continues to be very radical.
House Bill 90:
1. Allows nurses and physician assistants to participate in assisted suicide by defining “health care provider” to include: a licensed physician, a licensed osteopathic physician, a licensed nurse, and a licensed physician assistant.
2. Does not require the person to “self-administer.” The bill states “may self-administer” meaning that euthanasia is possible.
3. Reduces waiting period to 48 hours to receive the lethal drugs.
4. Allows people with mental health disorders to die by assisted suicide by enabling licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, master social worker, psychiatric nurse practitioner or professional clinical mental health counselor to approve assisted suicide for people with mental health disorders.
5. Requires health care providers to falsify the death certificate.
6. Removes conscience rights for health care providers who object to assisted suicide by requiring them to refer patients to a health care provider who is willing to prescribe assisted suicide.
7. Bases decisions on a “good faith compliance.” It is impossible to prove that someone who participated in the act did not do so in “good faith.” Years ago I stated that the suicide lobby would expand the parameters for prescribing lethal drugs in the future. Callinan is saying in her article that she believes the future is now.
The decision to expand assisted suicide is evident in the new assisted suicide bills. Delaware defines assisted suicide as palliative care, which is part of a long-term goal of normalizing it. Oregon has a few bills to expand assisted suicide laws and New Mexico has the most extreme bill that I have ever seen in the US. Most of the bills attack conscience rights for medical professionals by forcing doctors who object to assisted suicide to refer their patients to a pro-assisted-suicide doctor.
Two thousand nineteen is a watershed year for assisted suicide legislation in the US.
Oregon Debates Expanding
Assisted Suicide Law Recently, the Oregon assisted suicide lobby stated that they intend to expand the definitions in the assisted suicide law. The 2017 Oregon assisted suicide report stated that the number of assisted suicide deaths had, once again, increased. Oregon House Bill (HB) 2232 appears to clarify the definition of self-administer in the Oregon assisted suicide act, but in fact the bill changes the definition of terminal from a six-month terminal prognosis to: a disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce or substantially contribute to a patient’s death. Considering the fact that the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) bases the definition of terminal to include refusing medical treatment, such as a diabetic who refuses insulin, therefore the new definition of terminal has an undefined and nearly unlimited application. Many people who are not close to being “terminally ill” have a disease that will, within reasonable medical judgement, produce or substantially contribute to death. When considering the OHA inclusion of refusing medical treatment, I conclude that this new definition enables wide-open assisted suicide. There may be more concerns with HB 2232. This article only focuses on the new definition of terminal. Oregon Senate Bill (SB) 0579 creates an exception to the 15-day waiting period in the Oregon assisted suicide law enabling a physician to wave the 15-day waiting period before prescribing lethal drugs for suicide. The current Oregon assisted suicide law requires a 15- day waiting period. SB 0579 states: Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, if the qualified patient’s attending physician has medically confirmed that the qualified patient will, within reasonable medical judgment, die before the expiration of at least one of the waiting periods described in subsection (1) of this section, the prescription for medication under ORS 127.800 to 127.897 may be written at any time following the later of the qualified patient’s written request or second oral request under ORS 127.840. |
here may be more concerns with SB 0579. This article
only focuses on the waiting period. Delaware Bill Defines Assisted Suicide as Palliative Care The assisted suicide lobby has instituted a new direction by redefining assisted suicide as palliative care. This has long been a talking point for assisted suicide advocates but now they are attempting to change the legal definition of palliative care. The Delaware assisted suicide bill follows the new suicide by physician game plan by redefining palliative care to include assisted suicide. The bill states: WHEREAS, the integration of medical aid in dying into the standard for end-of-life care has improved quality of services by providing an additional palliative care option to terminally ill individuals. The World Health Organization definition of palliative care states that, “Palliative care intends neither to hasten or postpone death;” The assisted suicide lobby and the Delaware assisted suicide bill intend to change the meaning of palliative care. Montana Bill Would Prohibit Assisted Suicide For the past few years Montanans have faced a confusing situation concerning assisted suicide. In 2009, the Baxter et al. court decision declared that Montana citizens had a right to assisted suicide. The Baxter et al. decision was appealed to the Montana Supreme Court where it was decided that Montana citizens do not have a right to assisted suicide but the Court granted a tightly worded defense of consent, if a physician was prosecuted for assisted suicide. Physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Montana. Since the Montana Supreme Court decision, the assisted suicide lobby has claimed that assisted suicide is legal in Montana, while in fact assisted suicide is technically prohibited. This year, House Bill 284 was introduced to reverse the effect of the Montana Supreme Court decision by clarifying that consent is ineffective for homicide or assisted suicide. |
