In the News
Boston Globe: Legalizing assisted suicide would send a devastating message
Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby published an opinion piece Legalizing assisted suicide would send a devastating message on October 10th, 2021. The article summarizes the problems with assisted suicide legislation following the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health’s hearing on October 1, 2021. The Committee heard testimony on bills H2381 and S1384. These bills
Boston Globe: Legalizing assisted suicide would send a devastating message
Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby published an opinion piece Legalizing assisted suicide would send a devastating message on October 10th, 2021. The article summarizes the problems with assisted suicide legislation following the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health’s hearing on October 1, 2021. The Committee heard testimony on bills H2381 and S1384. These bills would
Not Dead Yet: Nat’l Council on Independent Living’s Policy Director Testifies Against Massachusetts Bill
Posted: 05 Oct 2021 11:17 AM PDT Joint Committee on Public Health Public Hearing: End of Life Options – Submitted by Lindsay Baran October 1, 2021 I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Lindsay Baran, and I work as the Policy Director for the National Council on
Not Dead Yet: John Kelly’s Testimony covers medical mistakes, class and race/ethnic divide and more
John Kelly’s Testimony covers medical mistakes, class and race/ethnic divide and more by Diane Coleman, Not Dead Yet by Diane Coleman “Massachusetts Public Health Committee hearing on the state’s assisted suicide bill: “Thank you. Everyone knows that doctors make mistakes, and studies show that 12 to 15 percent of people outlive the six-month hospice
New York Times Reports Marilyn Golden, Effective Voice for the Disabled, Dies at 67
Original Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/us/marilyn-golden-dead.html
Marilyn Golden 1954 – 2021
Tribute written by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF): https://dredf.org/2021/09/22/in-memory-of-marilyn-golden/ Marilyn Golden 1954 – 2021 “One hopes that the changes in law and policy we worked on at DREDF will be something the disability community can build on.” Marilyn Golden, answering the question, “What would you like your legacy to be?” in a
MedPage Today: Study Sheds Light on Physician-Assisted Suicide in Lung Cancer Patients
Patients diagnosed with lung cancer who opted for “medical assistance in dying” often proceeded without consultation with their radiation oncologist or medical oncologist, a researcher said. In a Canadian study of 45 individuals diagnosed with lung cancer who used medical assistance in dying (also known as physician-assisted suicide), about 20% did not have a radiation
Massachusetts LULAC Stands Opposed to Assisted Suicide
Nation’s Largest Volunteer-Based Organization for Latino Civil Rights Pushes Back Against Assisted Suicide Boston, MA. September 7, 2021 – Today, the Massachusetts chapter of LULAC, the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization for Latinos, issued the following statement asking members of the Massachusetts legislature to join them in strong opposition to assisted
Boston Globe: Push for assisted suicide raises questions over disability rights
In response to an essay on the Victorian fantasy of a peaceful death, two letter writers (“Beyond the fantasy of a gentle death,” Aug. 29) called on the state Legislature to pass the proposed assisted suicide bill. Paula Bacon and Molly DeHaas Walsh describe the circumstances of difficult deaths and believe that assisted suicide would bring
Capitol Weekly: Keep the safeguards in California’s ‘End-of-Life’ law
Assisted suicide is already legal in California through the so-called End-of-Life Option Act, narrowly passed by the California Legislature and signed by then-Gov. Brown in 2015. The bill was opposed by both Democrat and Republican Assembly members and Senators, but passed during a contested Special Legislative Session on Medi-Cal funding. To read the full story,
The O.C. Register: California shouldn’t scrap ‘safeguards’ in End of Life Options Act
Assisted suicide is already legal in California through the so-called End of Life Option Act, narrowly passed by the California Legislature and signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015. The bill received opposition from both Democrat and Republican Assembly members and state senators but was passed, many feel inappropriately, during a Special Legislative Session focused
Diné Hataałii Association opposes New Mexico legislation to legalize assisted suicide.
Media Contact: Mellor Willie Chee Consulting LLC Phone: 505.870.2006 Email: mwillie@cheeconsulting.com Association releases official statement opposing New Mexico House Bill 47 and Senate Bill 308. WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (Navajo Nation), March 8, 2021 – Diné Hataałii Association (DHA) released the following official statement outlining their opposition to current legislation being considered that
Don’t weaken protections in state’s assisted suicide law
Assisted suicide threatens the most vulnerable in society, especially people with disabilities. I have Duchenne muscular dystrophy which, until recently, has been considered a “childhood disorder” because people who were born with it typically did not survive into adulthood. Despite my diagnosis, I have been able to live a full life, even founded
Sharon Quick, MD: HB 1141 is dangerous public policy
By Sharon Quick, MDAmerican Academy of Medical Ethics One would think that Washington state legislators would prioritize saving lives, not making death more accessible, during a global pandemic that has already put too many people prematurely into graves. The House, however, is considering HB 1141, which would expand access to assisted suicide
DREDF and Others Press HHS OCR to Strengthen Nondiscrimination in Healthcare
Support for HHS OCR to publish “[Non-]Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Critical Health and Human Service Programs or Activities” DREDF, with partners Not Dead Yet and the Patients Rights Action Fund, have assembled a total of 30 disability rights and racial justice organizations to support further regulatory action by the U.S.
German Doctor Arrested on Suspicion of Killing Coronavirus Patients
German police said they had opened a murder inquiry against a senior doctor in the western city of Essen over the killing of two seriously ill coronavirus patients with a lethal injection, authorities. The doctor, 44, who had been working at the University Hospital in Essen since February, is suspected of having killed two men,
Assisted suicide cannot be regulated, ripe for abuse and coercion
Any moral society has a duty and a responsibility to protect and defend the vulnerable and the marginalized. But the assisted suicide legislation some Massachusetts lawmakers are considering is a dangerous public policy that threatens the most vulnerable in society: the elderly, people with disabilities, and the terminally ill. Now in the midst of
‘We need to continue our work to prevent suicide’
Growing up I was taught to respect people, especially my elders. It seems that society as a whole has lost respect for each other. The elders of today are no longer valued, the lessons of life they could teach us fall on deaf ears because we are too busy to sit and listen. It
Hospice versus palliative care
Palliative care and hospice are sometimes mistaken as the same thing, even though they’re quite different. Learning about each option can help adults identify which option is best for them should they one day require daily assistance. Palliative care Palliative care may be available at any time for individuals with serious and potentially life-threatening
