Today, a New Hampshire House committee begins the emotionally difficult work of deciding whether to recommend legalizing assisted suicide for the terminally ill.
The Judiciary Committee holds the first of what is expected to be many long work sessions on a bill introduced last session but held over the summer for more work. The full House votes on the measure next year.
The bill would let terminally ill patients older than 18 obtain lethal prescriptions, with safeguards to prevent abuses.
Opponents call the bill a recipe for elder abuse.
State Rep. Nancy Elliott, R-Merrimack and a committee member, said she hopes the committee will recommend that the bill be turned down.
“This bill opens our vulnerable seniors up to coercion, talking them into ending their life so they won’t be a burden,” said Elliott, R-Merrimack.
Kevin Smith of the conservative Cornerstone Policy Research said Wednesday that doctors should be treating the terminally ill, not helping them die.
“This would put a dollar sign squarely between the patient and the caregiver,” Smith said.
Full Article and Source:
New Hampshire Eyes Assisted Suicide Legislation
10 comments:
Assisted suicide is wrong. I hope it is defeated in New Hampshire.
If assisted suicide goes through, it's just another tool for guardians to dispose of their wards. A dangerous tool.
Assisted suicide scares me too. I believe it will be used for nefarious purposes.
From what I've read, the death certificate won't read, "assisted suicide" - so who is to keep track? And who is to determine (too late, I might add) if a doctor or guardian is using AS to kill people?
I believe there are people who cannot relieve their pain. And those people beg for a way out.
The problem is one rotten apple spoils the applecart --- and so we can expect that there will be those who will misuse it. It's always the case.
So, the question is: does that risk outweigh the benefit? And that's a hard one to answer.
I think the professionals should concentrate on pain management and not ending life.
I can see a doctor and/or nurse telling an elderly person that it's time and they can help them along and the elderly person going along with it.
No, I don't like assisted suicide a bit.
I believe living should be a choice and it should only be made by the person affected. If someone has cancer and the pain cannot be stopped, then it should be that person's option to end it.
Will fiduciaries be allowed, even encouraged to use this method of elimination?
Will POA's, Guardians et al be able to say that their charges or wards need help assisting in their early deaths, suicides?
Where is the line in the sand?
The statement, "This would put the dollar sign squarely between the patient and the caregiver" tells it all!
I agree with everything the opponents of this bill said in this article -- Assisted Suicide is a recipe for elder abuse.
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