Friday, April 25, 2014

Arizona assisted suicide law tightened.


The Arizona Daily Star has reported that:

The Arizona House has given final approval to a bill that aims to make it easier to prosecute people who help someone commit suicide.
Republican Rep. Justin Pierce of Mesa says his bill will make it easier for attorneys to prosecute people for manslaughter for assisting in suicide by more clearly defining what it means to "assist." 
House Bill 2565 defines assisting in suicide as providing the physical means used to commit suicide, such as a gun. The bill originally also defined assisted suicide as "offering" the means to commit suicide, but a Senate amendment omitted that word.
 The proposal was prompted by a difficult prosecution stemming from a 2007 assisted suicide in Maricopa County. 
The House approved the bill 35-19 Wednesday. It will now go to the governor's desk.
This bill was a response to an assisted suicide organizations involvement in a 2007 assisted suicide death.

Full Article & Source:
Arizona assisted suicide law tightened.

4 comments:

Thelma said...

This issue presents a real dilemma for those people who are ready and really want to die and need help, and those who are manipulated into assisted suicide by perpetrators for nefarious reasons.

StandUp said...

The issue is growing nationally, Thelma. A real battle is brewing.

Margaret Dore said...

Legal assisted suicide puts older people in the cross hairs of their relatives and other perpetrators. Please see these three articles:

1. A newspaper article about a debate I had regarding the subject (I'm sitting at the table): http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20120419/KAMLOOPS0101/120419759/-1/kamloops01/assisted-suicide-debate-deals-with-abuse-compassion

2. An article I did for an ABA newsletter regarding same: Margaret Dore, "Preventing Abuse and Exploitation: A Personal Shift in Focus," (An article about elder abuse, guardianship abuse and assisted suicide), The Voice of Experience, ABA Senior Lawyers Division Newsletter, Vol. 25, No. 4, Winter 2014, available at http://www.choiceillusion.org/2014/02/preventing-abuse-and-exploitation.html

3. A short article about our assisted suicide law here in Washington State: https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm

Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA
Law Offices of Margaret K. Dore, P.S.
Choice is an Illusion, a human rights organization
www.margaretdore.com
www.choiceillusion.org
1001 4th Avenue, 44th Floor
Seattle, WA 98154
206 389 1754 main line
206 389 1562 direct line
206 697 1217 Choice is an Illusion



Lori said...

Good to see you here, Margaret.
Thank you for all you do.

Lori D.