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Showing posts with label assisted suicide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assisted suicide. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2016
Issur to vote for a candidate who supports assisted suicide
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Vote On Assisted Suicide Expected Today In The NJ Senate, CALL YOUR SENATOR ASAP
Supporters of the Physician Assisted Suicide bill are working hard to try to get the Senate to schedule a vote on A2270/S382 for tomorrow’s voting session!
A2270/S382, the bill to legalize physician assisted suicide passed the Assembly in November of 2014 and was released without recommendation by the Senate Health Committee in December. It can be scheduled for a vote as early as tomorrow, December 17 in the NJ Senate. Please call and email your State Senator and urge him/her to Vote No on A2270/S382. Most states have rejected attempts to pass this dangerous legislation. You can find your Senator’s name and contact information and send a prewritten email message to them by clicking on the link below that says, “Take Action.” After you send an email to your State Senator, please also call their office and tell them to Vote No on A2270/S382!
You can find your State Senator by filling in your zip code on the Take Action page.
For more information on this issue, visit our website, http://www.njrtl.org andhttp://www.noassistedsuicidenj.org.
Please email and call your State Senator as soon as you get this email and urge them to Vote No on A2270/S382! You can send a pre-written email to your State Senator by clicking “Take Action.”
LifeNews.com Note: Marie Tasy is the executive director of New Jersey Right to Life.
to find your state senator's phone number click on your township in this link
Assisted Suicide or Assisted Homicide?
In what appears to be the next wave of anti-Torah progressiveness sweeping the nation arethe so-called “death with dignity” laws. This will become the greatest domestic danger to the Jewish community and the Western world at large. Right now, approximately 20 different states are trying to pass “assisted suicide” laws around the country, including New York and New Jersey the two states that have by the far the most Orthodox Jews. In NY, there are three different bills trying to accomplish this deed. In New Jersey last year, a bill already passed the assembly by only one vote and then progressed to pass the senate committee by only one vote. Since all bills that are not passed by January 12 will expire, the progressives are trying to make sure to pass this bill and very well might bring it up for a vote as early as Thursday, December 17.
While it’s clear that stopping these laws from being passed is clearly pikuach nefesh (the obligation of saving a life), even stalling them from passing may save one person. It’s also clear that this chiyuv to try and stop these laws would be more important than almost all other political concerns because we know pikuach nefesh trumps most other Torah laws. To not fight these laws would also fall under the prohibition of lo sa’amod al dam re’acha; for which the Rambam writes that violating the prohibition of lo sa’amod al dam re’acha “is as if one destroyed the entire world.” (Hilchos Rotze’ach 1:15-16)
While these laws are pure evil and assur (see Rambam Hilchos Rotze’ach 2:2-5) no matter how it’s implemented, they are even more evil in practice and can only be compared to Amalek. As we have already seen with other parts of the progressive movement’s “morality law,” laws consistently evolve and are implemented in ways beyond what the letter of the law actually allows.
These laws are supposedly written with safeguards, but we see clearly that these safeguards are not worth the paper they are written on. In NJ, assisted suicide bill patients are not required in most situations to get a psychological examination before getting approval for assisted suicide. As we saw in Washington State in 2012 (which has similar language to the NJ bill), only 3 percent of patients who “requested” an assisted suicide got a psychological examination. The proposed bill also doesn’t ban Medicaid from paying for this barbaric act. Furthermore, this bill does not allow a pharmacist to be exempted from filling the poison prescription, forcing a pharmacist to become an abettor to this murderous act (the law in NJ mandates pharmacists fill all prescriptions regardless of religious objections). The assisted bill does not have an investigation process to confirm that the patients actually want to commit suicide; all that is necessary to confirm that fact is the signatures of witnesses that the patient wants and is capable of making that decision. There is no confirmation process to check for forgeries or lies, they are going solely on the basis of those signatures. Finally, in perhaps the most grievous and sinister plot of all, the bill allows for someone who works for the patient’s medical insurance company to act as both witnesses.
Just a quick glance at other countries that are further along down this road than we are, and we see that assisted suicide eventually leads to outright euthanasia, and the worst forms of it, at that. We see in every single location that allows it that every year more people are killed than the previous year. It was reported years ago, that one in four doctors in the Netherlands admitted to killing a patient without the patient’s explicit permission, and in Belgium, 32 percent of patients who were killed did not give explicit permission. We further see how the laws keep expanding—recently Belgium passed child euthanasia, and a canton in Switzerland voted to force all nursing homes to have a special room for people to be killed.
Beyond just the actual murder, these evil laws will have major social implications, as we have already seen in Oregon where two different people were denied chemotherapy by Medicaid, but Medicaid “kindly” agreed to pay for the poison with which to kill them. As we know, medical insurance companies only care about the bottom line, and keeping people alive is not their top concern. So the fact that “suicide” is cheaper and, by liberal standards, the “moral” and “humane” approach, should give us all pause for contemplation. Once doctors become agents of death, they might not try as hard to save patients in the future. Society may eventually even decide that to not kill a suffering person is “inhumane.” As Jews who either witnessed the Holocaust or knew people who did, we must remember that before the Nazis implemented the “final solution” they first implemented “Action T4” which consisted of murdering those whose lives were deemed as not being worth anything. We know full well what this cheapening of human life ultimately ended with.
Unfortunately, many of these bills are supported by legislators representing Orthodox areas. As stated previously, the bill in the NJ assembly passed by only one vote; however, many assemblymen who voted for the bill (some of these districts had both assemblymen vote for the bill) represent Orthodox areas (Highland Park/Edison, Elizabeth, Passaic, Englewood/Teaneck/Tenafly) including the bill’s chief sponsor Timothy Eustace (Bergenfield/Fair Lawn/Paramus). If we could have gotten even one person to merely abstain on this bill, we would have killed the bill. In the NJ committee, a key deciding vote was Robert Gordon who voted to advance the bill despite his claim of having doubts. The only reason he can afford to do so is because he feels confident that he will still get our votes. It must be made clear to him that we are a vengeful people (Bamidbar 31:1). Politicians in general are very predictable people. They care primarily about reelection, and there are very few politicians who would vote for this bill if they would risk losing the next election because of it. Understanding that fact, we have to make sure they follow our views on this issue, or they will most surely follow our opposition. If we don’t do that they will play us for fools. We need to make clear to every single legislator who votes for this bill that under no circumstances will we ever vote for them, and we will go after them in primaries and general elections for the rest of their career; anything less is to be over on the lav of lo sa’amod al dam re’acha.
Of the senators in North Jersey with large Jewish populations, only Peter Barnes (Edison) has made his opposition clear, speaking at a press conference Monday, Dec 7. Please let Senator Peter Barnes, (732) 548-1406, know that we appreciate his opposition to assisted suicide.
Avraham Sharaby has an MA in Talmudic Law from BMG. He is a real estate broker in NY and is a finance director in north NJ. He lives in Lakewood, NJ, with his wife and two daughters.
By Avraham Sharaby
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Assisted Suicide Legalized In California, Yet Still Effort To Overturn It
Referendum papers filed on assisted suicide law
A day after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill allowing assisted suicides for the terminally ill in California, opponents filed papers to seek a referendum to overturn the measure on the November 2016 ballot.
A group called Seniors Against Suicide filed papers with the state attorney general’s office to get an official title and summary for the referendum, the first step toward collecting signatures.
The group would have 90 days, or until Jan. 3, to collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters, a difficult task as those behind a failed referendum on the state’s new vaccine law recently found out.
“Illness is never a reason for ending a life,” said the letter from clinical psychologist Mark Hoffman to the attorney general. He said in the letter he is “working with other opponents of medically killing depressed and ill patients.”
The measure was also opposed by a group called Californians Against Assisted Suicide, which is made up of doctors, disability activists and religious groups, and has said it is considering a referendum among other options.
That group is not involved in the referendum filed Tuesday, according to its spokesman, Tim Rosales. "We learned about it this afternoon and are studying a number of alternatives," he said.
The new law, which is likely to take effect next year, would allow physicians in California to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.
(LA Times)
Fighting to overturn this law is mamesh pikuach nefesh
A group called Seniors Against Suicide filed papers with the state attorney general’s office to get an official title and summary for the referendum, the first step toward collecting signatures.
The group would have 90 days, or until Jan. 3, to collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters, a difficult task as those behind a failed referendum on the state’s new vaccine law recently found out.
“Illness is never a reason for ending a life,” said the letter from clinical psychologist Mark Hoffman to the attorney general. He said in the letter he is “working with other opponents of medically killing depressed and ill patients.”
The measure was also opposed by a group called Californians Against Assisted Suicide, which is made up of doctors, disability activists and religious groups, and has said it is considering a referendum among other options.
That group is not involved in the referendum filed Tuesday, according to its spokesman, Tim Rosales. "We learned about it this afternoon and are studying a number of alternatives," he said.
The new law, which is likely to take effect next year, would allow physicians in California to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live.
(LA Times)
Fighting to overturn this law is mamesh pikuach nefesh
Sunday, March 1, 2015
How Agudah Talks From Both Sides Of It's Mouth On Assisted Suicide
Diane Savino is the prime sponsor of the assisted suicide bill in the senate
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this was retweeted by the Lefkowitz Leadership and offial agudah tweet account and A. D. Motzen a Agudah lobbiyist |
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Canadian Doctors Who Refuse To Help Kill Patients Could Face Disciplinary Actions
The issue of physician assisted assisted dying is of course a new issue, but the expectation would be that physicians will follow the directions which come from the College of Physicians and Surgeons which are going to be established of course by their colleges as part of the expectations of practice, so If a physician feels the directives are wrong, they will still, we would expect, they will still follow those directives Bryan Salte associate registrar of College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan doctors could face discipline over assisted suicide
SASKATOON – Doctors in the province of Saskatchewan who refuse to cooperate with physician-assisted suicide could face discipline according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.
That means a doctor who believes suicide is wrong murder would still have to refer a patient to a doctor who would help them kill themselves. which is clearly a yehorag veal yavor
While the college has not come up with policies around assisted suicide, it is circulating a draft policy on conscientious refusal. It says while doctors can refuse to provide a legally provided service if it violates their freedom of conscience, they do have to make a referral to another health care provider who will do it.“If a physician feels the directives are wrong, they will still, we would expect, they will still follow those directives,” said Bryan Salte, associate registrar of the college, “in spite of the fact they may not agree with them and consider it murder.”
“Certainly with any physician we try to work with them to see if there is any mutually because liberals have the right to tell you what you feels is important acceptable solution,” said Salte. “But if there are physicians who engage in behavior which is regarded by the liberal murderers as unacceptable or unprofessional in short not helping out in a suicide then that is a possible outcome,” he said.
That could become a problem for doctors who want nothing to do with killing a patient.
Dr. Philip Fitzpatrick, a Saskatoon family doctor and ER physician, says physician assisted suicide flies in the face of a doctors’ commitment not to cause harm to patients.
“This is a bit of a red line because as physicians we’re not supposed to be partaking in anything that might harm our patients,” he told Global News on Tuesday. “Definitely for me participating in an assisted suicide would be harming my patient – even a referral for that would make me culpable for that.”
Salte admits coming up with a compromise is going to be difficult because the left not only wants murder but they want you to be a murderer.
“There’s a broad range of beliefs out there, there’s a broad range of perspectives out there,” he said. “What the draft policy talks about is a compromise meaning doctor will be placed in a yeehorag ve al yavoer situation between the extreme position and what is his understanding of the "extreme position as you can hear further on the video "which would be that physicians are compelled to provide this (assisted suicide) services on one side, and the other extreme position is that simply refuse to discuss with their patients what is going to become a legal procedure (assisted suicide).”
A week ago, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the law prohibiting physician assisted suicide in Canada – but left a one year ban in place to give groups like the college time to put rules in place. Salte adds if Ottawa comes up with a law that is yehorag veal yaavor in the meantime, doctors will be expected to follow it.
“There’s a lot of consultation that is going on,” he said. “I was just as a national meeting, and that was a fairly significant subject associated with it.”
Fitzpatrick said he has talked to a number of doctors who are troubled by the ruling.
“Admittedly there is debate on life issues,” he said. “But once you look at this policy, once I’ve discussed it with my colleagues there is almost universal disagreement about this, this is definitely a bad idea for physicians.”
Salte says this has been one of the more difficult issues the college has had to deal with.
“Anytime you have people who believe very strongly ethically about certain issues and certainly we’ve dealt with that with birth control, we’ve dealt with that with abortion, we’ve dealt with that, with the morning after pill … very gray areas, and people feel very strongly about them and feel ethically the other side is just completely wrong,” said Salte.
“So trying to reconcile some of those, and trying to find ways you can impose as little as possible on the rights and obligations of some part of civilization while at the same time imposing as little as possible on the other side is a difficult compromise.” in short compromising with liberals is like compromising with Islamic terrorists
(globalnews) highlights our additions
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
How Borough Park Helped Bring Assisted "Suicide" Legislation To New York
After Seymour Lachman left the State Senate The Jewish community had a chance to put in someone who would fight for decency in the senate instead we stayed home and those who voted did so in what looks like a majority for a leftist pig (Diane Savino) who was one of the leading pushers behind same sex "marriage" and now Assisted "Suicide"
look at this map below and ask yourself could the Jewish community have brought out even 5,000 votes for someone decent?
now add in parts of Bensonhurst and Sea Gate and you'll see who is at fault.
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| Borough Park portion of Savino's 2004 district (click to see entire district which includes parts of Bensonhurst and all of Sea Gate) Instead we had the Jewish "leaders" support this thing including outgoing state senator Seymour Lachman and Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
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| notice that in the 48th and 49th AD's which Jews were most likely majority of the voters Savino actually won |
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| Here are the Staten Island numbers when added together Savino only got 4,621 votes (including Jewish traitors)
When looking at these numbers it's obvious to everyone that we failed miserably and we unfortunately will be held accountable
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And for the record just looking at her endorsements and we knew back in 04 that she was terrible.
- She got the support of the Democratic Socialists of America (page 7) (they only endorsed 4 candidates in the state)
- She was the only the only candidate who got the working families party line (it was more idealistic (meaning leftist) then too)
- She was endorsed in the primary by Liz Kruger, and Toby Ann Stovisky 2 of the most leftists in the senate
- She was endorsed by NARAL (a super pro abortion group)
- MOST IMPORTANTLY SHE GOT THE ENDORSEMENT OF BROOKLYN'S GAY POLITICAL CLUB
State Senators Look to Introduce ‘Death With Dignity’ Legislation This Month
By Jillian Jorgensen | 01/15/15 9:23am
After a terminally ill woman made headlines when she moved to Oregon so she could end her life under a doctor’s care, two State Senators are hoping to bring a similar law to New York.
“There are only five states in the country that allow for people to make end of life decisions similar to what Oregon does, and New York is not one of them,” former Borough Park State Senator Diane Savino told the Observer.
Brittany Maynard, 29, was suffering from brain cancer when she ended her life November 1 with a lethal dose of secobarbital prescribed by her physician. In New York, doing so would have put her doctor at risk of manslaughter charges, Ms. Savino said. She and State Senator Brad Hoylman want to change that with legislation Ms. Savino said they’d look to introduce by the end of the month.
“I was moved by Brittany’s story. I had seen her videos and felt compelled by the need, if I or any of my loved ones find themselves in a similar situation, to have that choice—and what a wonderful "gift" for her, that she was able to have a modicum of control over her end of life,” Mr. Hoylman told the Observer.
Mr. Hoylman, whose interest in the legislation was first reported by the Daily News, and Ms. Savino said the legislation would be modeled on the law in Oregon, a state Ms. Maynard moved to specifically so she could access its “Death With Dignity” law.
“What we’re looking to do is two things: amend the public health law in New York State to allow patients and doctors and family members of patients? to make end of life decisions that make sense for them, and two, to inoculate doctors who choose to do this from prosecution,” Ms. Savino said.
And Jewish leaders continued to support her
A patient would need to have a terminal illness that was verified by more than one physician, and have a prognosis of fewer than six months. The patient would need to be found to be of sound mind in a mental competency hearing verified by another independent psychologist which is not in Linda Rosenthal's bill (her's only mandates a psychiatric evaluation if a doctor demands it) which is presumably the same bill these 2 plan on sponsoring happens. If the patient met all the criteria, he or she could request in writing to be prescribed the lethal dose of medication.
“What we’ve found in other states that have this now is the vast majority of patients who elect to do so never use the prescription and that only 3% of people had a psychiatric evaluation,” Ms. Savino said, but simply want to know they have that power over their illness. “They have some control over what is an uncontrollable situation.”
The senators are working with "Compassion" and "Choices" who's founder Derek Humphry wrote a guide book on how to commit suicide that actually led to be people committing suicide, the advocacy group that published a video of Maynard discussing her choice to move to Oregon and set a date for the end of her life that put her—and the issue of "aid" in dying legislation—in the spotlight late last year. The group is continuing to lobby on her behalf for similar laws nationwide, along with Maynard’s husband Dan Diaz, who this week gave his first interviews since his wife’s death. Compassion & Choices also lobbied on behalf of another priority of Ms. Savino’s—the medical marijuana law passed last year.
“Compassion & Choices, as Diane proved, is a terrific partner and has a lot of experience in the New York State legislature. That’s why I’m thrilled to partner with Sen. Savino on this issue,” Mr. Hoylman said, also noting Ms. Savino’s ties to leadership as a member of the Democratic Independent Conference which means that this bill might pass if she makes a deal with Dean Skelos who helped pass same sex "marriage" and the rishaim/idiots of the 5 Towns keep electing.
Still, the legislation could face an uphill battle. Many religious groups strongly oppose such measures, and it’s unclear if it would find favor with leaders in the Senate, dominated by Republicans, and Assembly, or with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“It’s very controversial because it makes people uncomfortable, it really does. I never run away from the uncomfortable,” Ms. Savino said. like she did with people opposing same sex "marriage? “But in passing I mentioned it to a couple of members and I was somewhat surprised to how supportive they were. There’s not a person who gets to the age of 30 in this world who doesn’t see, or hasn’t seen, someone they love suffer terribly.”
Mr. Hoylman too thought it would be possible to pass the legislation, saying the state had a “sophisticated electorate”meaning evil/liberal electorate and that they would work to educate means pressure colleagues on the need for the legislation.
“We’ll work on a bill that people are comfortable with, including the advocates, including groups that are concerned about making certain that there are adequate safeguards like Washington where only 3% of people had a psychiatric evaluation? in the legislation, and address concerns like insurance meaning you are now going to pay for murder and be a full partner in this crime and who makes these decisions I though they claimed it was the patient? and issues that are crucial to making certain that the process is not taken advantage of,” Mr. Hoylman said.
Similar legislation was passed by the New Jersey State Assembly, and Ms. Savino said she’d be watching the progress of the neighboring state closely. which is why everybody should lobby in NJ to stop this bill She’ll also take lessons from her lengthy push to pass medical marijuana, she said.
“Lesson number one: pay attention to your colleagues. Their opinions count,” she said. “Also, there’s a very distinct possibility that this could be a multi-year bill. I’m prepared for that.” which means we also have to prepare for that.
(observer) highlights our additions
Everyone should contact their legislators and tell them to oppose assisted suicide or else we will vote you out
Brittany Maynard, 29, was suffering from brain cancer when she ended her life November 1 with a lethal dose of secobarbital prescribed by her physician. In New York, doing so would have put her doctor at risk of manslaughter charges, Ms. Savino said. She and State Senator Brad Hoylman want to change that with legislation Ms. Savino said they’d look to introduce by the end of the month.
“I was moved by Brittany’s story. I had seen her videos and felt compelled by the need, if I or any of my loved ones find themselves in a similar situation, to have that choice—and what a wonderful "gift" for her, that she was able to have a modicum of control over her end of life,” Mr. Hoylman told the Observer.
Mr. Hoylman, whose interest in the legislation was first reported by the Daily News, and Ms. Savino said the legislation would be modeled on the law in Oregon, a state Ms. Maynard moved to specifically so she could access its “Death With Dignity” law.
“What we’re looking to do is two things: amend the public health law in New York State to allow patients and doctors and family members of patients? to make end of life decisions that make sense for them, and two, to inoculate doctors who choose to do this from prosecution,” Ms. Savino said.
And Jewish leaders continued to support her
A patient would need to have a terminal illness that was verified by more than one physician, and have a prognosis of fewer than six months. The patient would need to be found to be of sound mind in a mental competency hearing verified by another independent psychologist which is not in Linda Rosenthal's bill (her's only mandates a psychiatric evaluation if a doctor demands it) which is presumably the same bill these 2 plan on sponsoring happens. If the patient met all the criteria, he or she could request in writing to be prescribed the lethal dose of medication.
“What we’ve found in other states that have this now is the vast majority of patients who elect to do so never use the prescription and that only 3% of people had a psychiatric evaluation,” Ms. Savino said, but simply want to know they have that power over their illness. “They have some control over what is an uncontrollable situation.”
The senators are working with "Compassion" and "Choices" who's founder Derek Humphry wrote a guide book on how to commit suicide that actually led to be people committing suicide, the advocacy group that published a video of Maynard discussing her choice to move to Oregon and set a date for the end of her life that put her—and the issue of "aid" in dying legislation—in the spotlight late last year. The group is continuing to lobby on her behalf for similar laws nationwide, along with Maynard’s husband Dan Diaz, who this week gave his first interviews since his wife’s death. Compassion & Choices also lobbied on behalf of another priority of Ms. Savino’s—the medical marijuana law passed last year.
“Compassion & Choices, as Diane proved, is a terrific partner and has a lot of experience in the New York State legislature. That’s why I’m thrilled to partner with Sen. Savino on this issue,” Mr. Hoylman said, also noting Ms. Savino’s ties to leadership as a member of the Democratic Independent Conference which means that this bill might pass if she makes a deal with Dean Skelos who helped pass same sex "marriage" and the rishaim/idiots of the 5 Towns keep electing.
Still, the legislation could face an uphill battle. Many religious groups strongly oppose such measures, and it’s unclear if it would find favor with leaders in the Senate, dominated by Republicans, and Assembly, or with Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“It’s very controversial because it makes people uncomfortable, it really does. I never run away from the uncomfortable,” Ms. Savino said. like she did with people opposing same sex "marriage? “But in passing I mentioned it to a couple of members and I was somewhat surprised to how supportive they were. There’s not a person who gets to the age of 30 in this world who doesn’t see, or hasn’t seen, someone they love suffer terribly.”
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| The "open minded" senator hung this outside her office during the fight to destroy marriage |
Mr. Hoylman too thought it would be possible to pass the legislation, saying the state had a “sophisticated electorate”meaning evil/liberal electorate and that they would work to educate means pressure colleagues on the need for the legislation.
“We’ll work on a bill that people are comfortable with, including the advocates, including groups that are concerned about making certain that there are adequate safeguards like Washington where only 3% of people had a psychiatric evaluation? in the legislation, and address concerns like insurance meaning you are now going to pay for murder and be a full partner in this crime and who makes these decisions I though they claimed it was the patient? and issues that are crucial to making certain that the process is not taken advantage of,” Mr. Hoylman said.
Similar legislation was passed by the New Jersey State Assembly, and Ms. Savino said she’d be watching the progress of the neighboring state closely. which is why everybody should lobby in NJ to stop this bill She’ll also take lessons from her lengthy push to pass medical marijuana, she said.
“Lesson number one: pay attention to your colleagues. Their opinions count,” she said. “Also, there’s a very distinct possibility that this could be a multi-year bill. I’m prepared for that.” which means we also have to prepare for that.
(observer) highlights our additions
Everyone should contact their legislators and tell them to oppose assisted suicide or else we will vote you out
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| R Moshe Soloveitchik on assisted suicide |
Monday, January 26, 2015
Linda Rosenthal Sponsors Assisted Suicide Bill In New York
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| Linda Rosenthal Sponsor of NY's Assisted Suicide Bill |
This bill currently has no sponsors but that could and most likely will change soon, there is no companion bill in the senate yet but State Senator Brad Hoylman (who overlaps with her partly) has already pledged to sponsor a bill
Everyone in NY should call their assemblyman and tell them to oppose this bill.
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| Letter from Rabbi Moshe Soleveitchik on Massachusetts's trying to pass assisted suicide |
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Interview With New York State's Assisted Suicide Bill's Sponsor
A Q&A With NYS Sen. Brad Hoylman On Physician-Assisted Suicide And 'Death With Dignity'
One New York state senator is determined to permit terminally ill New Yorkers to “make their own choices about their end-of-life care” by introducing “death with dignity” legislation in the coming legislative session.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents parts of Manhattan, has plans to introduce a bill that he says will mirror similar laws in Oregon, Washington and Vermont. This doesn’t mean Hoylman isn’t open to changes.
“As we continue to craft the legislation, we are looking for ways to update and improve the law or deprove depending on your opinion of murder in a way that reflects "modern" best practices and makes the most sense for New York,” he said in an interview.
Even though Hoylman says he’s received “overwhelmingly positive feedback from legislators that means make sure you let your elected officials know before a bill is sponsored because afterwards it will be much harder to get them to remove their names and constituents alike in Greenwich Village,” not everybody is on board with his agenda.
Diane Coleman, president and CEO of Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights group that opposes Hoylman’s bill, said New York City members of her organization have requested a meeting with Hoylman to urge him to withdraw his bill from his legislative agenda.
“Legalizing assisted suicide means that some people’s lives will be ended without their informed consent, through mistakes and abuse,” she said. “No safeguards have ever been enacted or proposed that can prevent this outcome, which can never be undone.”
Here’s the full interview with Hoylman.
CJ Arlotta: Why are you introducing this bill?
Sen. Brad Hoylman: I was "inspired" watching and reading about Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old Californian with terminal brain cancer who moved to Oregon so that she could have control over the end of her life. A person who spoke in Trenton on Monday had the exact same type of brain cancer as Maynard, said that because of his shock he would have sought this course of action, and here he is 2 years later I also have had loved ones — family and friends — with terminal diagnoses, and if they had the opportunity, some of them may have utilized aid in dying to ensure they had a measure of dignity in their final days. I believe New Yorkers who have a terminal illness and have less than six months to live should be able to make their own choices about their end-of-life care.
Sen. Brad Hoylman: I was "inspired" watching and reading about Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old Californian with terminal brain cancer who moved to Oregon so that she could have control over the end of her life. A person who spoke in Trenton on Monday had the exact same type of brain cancer as Maynard, said that because of his shock he would have sought this course of action, and here he is 2 years later I also have had loved ones — family and friends — with terminal diagnoses, and if they had the opportunity, some of them may have utilized aid in dying to ensure they had a measure of dignity in their final days. I believe New Yorkers who have a terminal illness and have less than six months to live should be able to make their own choices about their end-of-life care.
CJ: What are the chances of your bill becoming a law in New York State?
Hoylman: It’s too early to tell. Last week I began reaching out to my colleagues in the Senate asking them to co-sponsor death with dignity legislation I plan to introduce in the new year. So far, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from legislators and constituents alike. This isn’t surprising; recent public polling shows 70 percent of Americans support aid in dying for the terminally ill. of course when you poll with the words "assisted suicide" it looses much of it's support, many misread those words such as "aid when dying for the terminally ill"
CJ: What does this bill take from death with dignity laws in Oregon, Washington and Vermont?
Hoylman: My bill will mirror the laws currently on the books in Oregon, Washington and Vermont to a large degree. However, as we continue to craft the legislation, we are looking for ways to update and improve the law in a way that reflects modern best practices and makes the most sense for New York.
CJ: Why isn’t the method used to end life mentioned in the bill?
Hoylman: As in other states with similar laws, the legislation would not mandate the usage of a particular medication; it would be up to the prescribing physician whose required to fill it? to select a medication. Through reporting requirements in other states, we know that doctors typically prescribe an oral dosage of barbiturate.
CJ: What would you say to those who oppose death with dignity laws?
Hoylman: I "respect" different moral and religious views on how best to deal with something as tragic as a terminal illness. But the point is that New Yorkers with a terminal diagnosis should have a choice on how their lives end, and currently they do not. This is a way to ensure some semblance of self-autonomy, dignity and control at the end of one’s life.
CJ: Why use the term “death with dignity” and not “physician-assisted suicide”?
Hoylman: When talking about individuals who have six months or less to live, it’s offensive to use the word “suicide,” as it connotes the idea that the person is choosing to end their life. “Aid in dying” laws are about giving terminally ill patients a choice in how they end their life to ensure some measure of dignity. more accurately who is against "death with dignity", being poisoned to death is not dignity, using the word suicide lets people know what they are supporting
CJ: How does this bill put safeguards into place to protect terminally ill New Yorkers from potentially being abused?
Hoylman: Our bill will have strong protections in place to ensure that patients have the mental competency to make their own health care decisions just like the ones in Washington State that in 2012 led to only 3% of people being killed after a psychiatric examination?, and are counseled by their physicians on all of their end-of-life care options, including hospice, pain management, etc. A qualified patient must make a written and oral request to his or her attending physician. A second oral request must be made, no sooner than 15 days after the initial oral request, the attending physician must offer the patient opportunity to rescind the request and inform the patient that they may rescind the request for medication at any time and in any manner, without regard to their mental state. At least two doctors must determine that a patient meets the requirements to utilize aid in dying.
(Forbes) highlights our additions
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Assisted Suicide Bill To Come To New York
New York senator proposes law to allow terminally ill to seek suicide with doctor support
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Brad Hoylman of Manhattan is seeking support for a bill that permits a doctor to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill adults who wish to take their own lives. Religious groups are fighting the proposal.
ALBANY — A Manhattan state senator wants to make New York the fifth state to allow assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
Democrat Brad Hoylman said his proposed law would permit doctors to prescribe lethal "medication" to terminally ill adults who want to take their own lives.
In a memo seeking co-sponsors call your state senator and tell them to oppose assisted "suicide" , Hoylman cited the case of Brittany Maynard, the terminally ill California woman who became the public face of the right-to-die movement when she moved to Oregon to end her life under that state's "Death With Dignity Act."
Maynard, who had an aggressive form of brain cancer, took her life on Nov. 1.
“This bill will give capable adults who have been given a terminal medical prognosis a measure of control over their end-of-life care options,” Hoylman wrote in his memo, which was obtained by the Daily News.
But the proposal faces fierce opposition from religious groups.
“We knew the fight was coming,” said the Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation, an evangelical Christian group.
The New York Catholic Conference will also strongly oppose the Hoylman bill, spokesman Dennis Poust said.
“We believe the so-called death with dignity movement is predicated on the false notion that there is something undignified about a natural death,” Poust said. “We don’t buy that.”
Poust said people who are diagnosed with months to live often defy expectations, and that the fear and depression felt by terminally ill patients can cloud their judgment.
The key provisions of Hoylman’s bill are modeled after the Oregon law.
Under his proposed Death With Dignity Act, a person seeking assisted suicide would have to be at least 18 and be given no more than six months to live some patients have been known to live almost 2 years after getting the poison.
The individual would have to make written and oral requests to a physician, and follow up with another verbal request at least 15 days later. The patient also must be deemed capable of making and communicating health care decisions, meaning advanced Alzheimer’s patients wouldn’t qualify.
In other states, a person is given a fast-acting lethal barbiturate. Hoylman’s proposal does not yet specify a method of suicide.
But doctors assisting in a suicide would be immune from criminal or civil liability if they acted in "good" faith.
In New York, people on both sides of the approaching debate agreed Tuesday that approval of Hoylman’s bill is unlikely in 2015.Assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana, and New Jersey and California Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Connecticut have been debating the issue.
“But it gets the conversation going,” said George Eighmey, vice chairman of the Death with Dignity National Center.
In Oregon, 752 people have died under the Death With Dignity Act in the 16 years it’s been in palce, including 71 people in 2013. That’s a small percentage of the number of terminally ill people, but the fact that legal suicide is possible gives many people comfort, Eighmey maintained.
“The purpose is to give people facing end of life one more option,” Eighmey said.
Hoylman in his letter to the other senators said he recognizes the “legitimate profound emotional considerations and ethical and religious concerns surrounding this issue.”
But he said his legislation will include “strong protections” to ensure patients are capable of making sound, informed decisions while doctors, hospitals and pharmacists who object to the law are under no legal obligation to participate.
(daily news) highlights our additions
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