Illinois submits bills to become 12th state to allow assisted suicide

by Simone Orendain 

Within the first week of the new session of Illinois' General Assembly lawmakers on Jan. 13 and 14 filed bills to set their state on a path to becoming the 12th jurisdiction in the United States to have a physician-assisted suicide law.

Ten states, including the District of Columbia, have legalized physician-assisted suicide. Along with Illinois, 17 other states have lawmakers proposing similar legislation.

The two identical bills submitted in the Illinois Senate and House called "End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act" call for two doctors to ascertain that a patient has six months or less to live, and to evaluate the patient's mental faculties and ability to self-administer the lethal drugs.

The proposed law, however, stops short of authorizing physician-assisted euthanasia, where the physician administers the medication prescribed to kill the patient.

In physician-assisted suicide, a physician prescribes lethal medication but the patient administers it.

However, the legislation states that the patient's death under the act cannot be described as either suicide or murder. In fact, it states the actions described in the proposed act "do not, for any purposes, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, mercy killing, homicide, murder, manslaughter, elder abuse or neglect, or any other civil or criminal violation under the law."

It also specifies the cause of death for the death certificate would be the original diagnosis of the patient -- not that they took prescribed lethal drugs to kill themselves.

Catholic bioethicist John Haas said the ancient Hippocratic oath in its original form, which doctors traditionally have taken, involves a physician swearing not to give any poison -- or counsel for it -- to the sick.

"It's broader than just a Christian teaching," said Haas, the immediate past president of the Philadelphia-based National Catholic Bioethics Center, or NCBC. "It's a humane teaching that we don't kill those who are suffering. We help them. We work on curing them and healing them. And if that doesn't work, we comfort them when they're in their last days."

The Catholic Conference of Illinois is opposing the assisted suicide legislation, advocating the state instead advance moral alternatives when it comes to end-of-life care.

"The answer is palliative care," said Robert Gilligan, the conference's executive director. He referred to health care focused solely on giving comfort and managing symptoms such as pain that cause suffering for someone with a serious or terminal illness.

"Fund more of that. Expand more of that. This is the way out of this," he said.

Gilligan also said another pressing concern is "suicide contagion."

"In other words, once a state says it's okay to end your life, more people will do that," he said.

The conference is trying to help lawmakers understand this risk.

But Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, the bill's lead sponsor in the state Senate, said she was hopeful about the bill's passage.

"I talked to my Senate members and we know ... it polls at over 70% of the population (who) think it should be an option," Holmes said.

According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 66% of Americans favor physician-assisted suicide "when a person has a disease that cannot be cured and is living in severe pain." Another 71% supported physician-assisted euthanasia "if the patient and his or her family request it."

Holmes, 65, who said she is Catholic but not practicing, shared that her father's death, when she was a teenager, was part of why she became passionate about the bill after being approached by Compassion and Choices. The group lobbies to legalize physician-assisted suicide as "medical aid in dying."

"My father died of lung cancer when he was 49. And I mean, it's a horrendous way to watch somebody die. I mean, it's horrible. It's painful. There's a lot of suffering," she said.

But Gilligan, along with other Catholic bioethicists, pointed out that when states or countries enact assisted suicide laws, they almost always expand them and relax the initial criteria to cover a greater number of people.

Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at NCBC, said Oregon, Vermont, Washington state and Hawaii have all liberalized their laws beyond their initial restrictions. Lawmakers have pushed similar efforts in California and New Jersey.

Father Pacholczyk said that the Catholic Church can help people think through and see that the arguments for such laws are fundamentally flawed. But he also said the church has teaching that helps people bear through deep difficulties.

He noted that for Catholics, "hope is the inseparable companion of suffering."

"Jesus endured the Cross, which was fruitful, precious and redemptive. But no one can support just the cross alone," he said. "Suffering, accompanied by the warming reality of hope, offers us strength in the recognition that our earthly pains will indeed pass, and yield to eternal joys."

He said, "This remarkable combination of hope and suffering unchains the human spirit. Such hope is central to the life of every follower of Christ."

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Illinois submits bills to become 12th state to allow assisted suicide

State's assisted suicide bill imperils elder citizens

by Sally White

In 20 years of working with geriatric patients, I have seen the frightened faces, emaciated and bruised bodies, and the hopelessness of abuse victims. My patients taught me the five types of elder abuse: neglect, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. New York state legislators could create a new category: legally protected abuse.

If it ever becomes law, assisted suicide legislation will increase opportunities for abusers to euthanize adults. This act intentionally puts lethal drugs into the hands of people who could easily misuse them.

Like child abuse, spousal abuse and hate crimes, elder abuse occurs when a class of people does not get equal protection, equal treatment and social supports to prevent harm. New York may create a class of people who receive lethal medication and suicide instructions instead of suicide prevention interventions and social support to prevent harm. In states with similar laws, the vast majority of people dying from lethal prescriptions are older than 60.

The National Council on Aging reports that almost 60 percent of elder abusers are family members. The New York assisted suicide bill does not require physicians to see patients alone to reduce coercion by family or caregivers. In the era of telemedicine, this bill does not even mandate an in-person appointment to request the lethal medication. Thus, there is no guarantee the patient is not being coerced, or that the patient is even the one requesting to end his or her life.

New Yorkers who do not speak English are especially vulnerable to deception and coercion. This bill allows non-English speakers to sign medication requests written in the English language. Self-designated interpreters require no specific language competency or knowledge of medical terminology.

New York does not prevent, protect, or prosecute elder abuse, even when people suffer severe psychological and physical harm. "Under the Radar," the first statewide study of Elder Abuse, reports that elder abuse happens to 76 of every 1,000 adults older than 60 living in the community. That's 260,000 New Yorkers every year. Since New York is the only state without mandatory reporting of elder abuse, it's no surprise that less than 5 percent of these events are reported to any agency.

In 2018, the Assembly Committee on Aging stated that one of its "top priorities is to increase opportunities to identify signs of abuse, increase outreach and education." The committee could begin by educating sponsors and supporters of New York's assisted suicide legislation about elder abuse. Social isolation and dependence on others for daily needs make terminally ill patients easy targets. Yet this bill does not require an abuse risk assessment to be conducted before lethal medication is dispensed. Its unenforceable warning not to commit forgery, homicide and coercion reads like a plea for immunity or absolution. It offers vulnerable older adults no protection.

This bill is dangerous not only because "safe suicide" is an oxymoron, or because doctors often make mistakes in estimating life expectancy, but also because the bill's so-called "safeguards" are missing or unenforceable. Now is the time to stand up for those who are too vulnerable to stand up for themselves. Now is the time to stop elder abuse — not to legalize it. 

Dr. Sally White works with vulnerable adults in rural Franklin and St. Lawrence counties.

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State's assisted suicide bill imperils elder citizens

Rhode Island assisted suicide bill will create the perfect crime.

Margaret Dore

Providence, RI -- Attorney Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, which has fought assisted suicide legalization efforts in many states, including Rhode Island, made the following statement in connection with the hearing on bill H 7297 seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in that state.

"There is a bill pending before the Rhode Island House of Representatives, which seeks to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined," said Dore. “The bill seeks to legalize these practices for people with years, even decades, to live.”

“The bill is sold as assuring patient choice and control. But when you look at what the bill actually says and does, the bill is a recipe for elder abuse.” Dore explained, "The patient's heir, who will financially benefit from the patient’s death, is allowed to actively participate in signing the patient up for the lethal dose. After that, no doctor, not even a witness, is required to be present at the death. If the patient objected or even struggled, who would know? The bill will create the perfect crime.”

"Other states are pushing back against assisted suicide,” said Dore. “This year, Utah passed a bill clarifying that assisted suicide is a crime. Last year, Alabama passed a bill banning assisted suicide. Two years ago, the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned assisted suicide: Physician-assisted suicide is no longer legal in New Mexico.”

“The Rhode Island bill seeks to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia for people who are ‘terminal,’ which is defined as a doctor’s prediction of less than six months to live.“ Dore added, “In real life, such persons can have years, even decades, to live.”

“Doctors can be wrong about life expectancy, sometimes way wrong." Dore explained, "This is due to actual mistakes and the fact that predicting life expectancy is not an exact science. A few years ago, I was met at the airport by a man who at age 18 had been diagnosed with ALS and given 3 to 5 years to live, at which time he was predicted to die by paralysis. His diagnosis had been confirmed by the Mayo Clinic. When he met me at the airport, he was 74 years old. The disease progression had stopped on its own.”

“If the Rhode Island bill becomes law, there will be new lethal paths of elder abuse, which will be legally sanctioned,” said Dore. “People with years, even decades to live, will be encouraged to throw away their lives or have their lives thrown away for them. Even if you like the concept of assisted suicide and suicide and euthanasia, the proposed bill has it all wrong.”

For more information:

1. Margaret Dore, Legal/Policy Analysis of H 7297, Rhode Island House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, memo available here: Attachments available here: 

2. Margaret K. Dore, “Death with Dignity’: What Do We Advise Our Clients?,” King County Bar Association, Bar Bulletin, May 2009,  (available here).

Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation working against assisted suicide and euthanasia, worldwide

www.choiceillusion.org
1001 4th Avenue, Suite 4400
Seattle WA USA 98154

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Rhode Island assisted suicide bill will create the perfect crime.

Opening Salvo on New York’s 2018 Assisted Suicide Bill

Disability activists from the Albany area donned bright pink Not Dead Yet t-shirts, carrying leaflets and signs to voice strong opposition to legalization of assisted suicide at a press conference held by proponents of this year’s bill.

Image description: Blond woman with glasses holds sign saying “Assisted Suicide = Deadly Discrimination” with a skull drawn below the words.

Image description: Two men wear bright pink t-shirts, with the words “Not Dead Yet” visible on one man, who is using crutches. The other man holds a sign which says “Assisted Suicide World’s Cheapest Healthcare”.

Local television news covered the press conference and protest, and included brief interviews with Kathryn Carroll (pictured above) and Gregg Beratan, who are from the Center for Disability Rights (CDR), in the news video. CDR’s policy position on the issue is here.

The Staten Island Advance also covered the story in Should terminally ill in N.Y. have access to aid in dying? The coverage included some key issues of concern:

Diane Coleman, president and CEO of Not Dead Yet, an advocacy organization in Rochester, cited several issues with the legislation.

Coleman said that obstacles in obtaining quality health care could lead individuals to opt for aid in death.

“There are a lot of issues getting quality care,” she said. “It gives them an easy way out.”

“That’s just reality,” she continued. “That our insurance companies are going to do the cheap thing over the right thing.”

Coleman also cited a lack of oversight after a prescription is given to a patient as one of the many issues with the bill, arguing that they can be coerced into opting for aid in dying. 

“The bills themselves do not include any type of independent witnesses at the time of ingestion,” Coleman told the Advance. “There’s no way to know.”

On the same day, the New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide issued a press release launching the Alliance’s new website, noting that it “that will enhance its ability to work against the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in the Empire State.” Not Dead Yet and the Center for Disability Rights are part of the NY Alliance. As CDR’s Director of Advocacy Stephanie Woodward said in the release:

The new website, NoSuicideNY.org, offers readers the latest news on the physician-assisted suicide debate in Albany; talking points to equip allies for effective advocacy; and video testimonials from terminally-ill persons, disabled people, and others whose life experiences have led them to speak out against doctor-assisted death. Significantly, the website also includes an action alert that allows New Yorkers to e-mail their legislators about this important issue.

Full Article & Source:
Opening Salvo on New York’s 2018 Assisted Suicide Bill

Urgent: Will Congress Stop the Washington D.C. Assisted Suicide Law in Time? Write Now!

Nancy Valko, RN

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser  quietly signed an assisted suicide bill into law on December 19, 2016 after a majority of the city council voted for it.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the Congress has exclusive legislative authority over the District of Columbia. Congress has just 30 legislative days to review a law of the District of Columbia once it is passed by the city government. Resolutions of disapproval must be passed by both houses and be signed by the president to block a D.C. law.

In a race against time, the first step  to block the assisted suicide law was taken January 12, 2017 by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) who introduced introducing a resolution in the Senate that opposes D.C.’s  “Death With Dignity Act”.
A companion resolution was introduced in the House by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) also said that he would push to block the law.

COMPASSION AND CHOICES HAS ALREADY STARTED A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN TO LEGALIZE ASSISTED SUICIDE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

In a message to assisted suicide supporters, Compassion and Choices claims that “more than 2400 supporters” have “sent more than 7,000 messages to members of Congress”.  The organization also emphasizes “the importance of including your personal testimony” as “often the most effective way to change the minds of lawmakers”.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN OR CONGRESSWOMAN TO OPPOSE  ASSISTED SUICIDE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The National Right to Life Committee has a website link   to “Nullify District of Columbia Assisted Suicide Law” to contact your Senators and a separate link to contact your House representative(s). Enter your zip code in the box provided and you will be taken to a list of your congresspersons and a form you fill out to send an email to those representatives or senators with your comments.

HOW TO WRITE COMMENTS

Keep your comments respectful  and address the points that most move you. If you have a personal story about why you are against assisted suicide, write it as clearly and concisely as possible.

PROBLEMS WITH THE ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL

While many legislators (as well as the public) are persuaded by the “safeguards” to support assisted suicide laws, the Washington D.C. bill has many of the same problems with “safeguards” that other assisted suicide bills have. (For example, see my blogs “The slippery Slope-Tactics in the Assisted Suicide Movement” and “Pain and ‘Choice’“.)

In the D.C. assisted suicide law, such problems include:

1.The extraordinary immunity protections against civil, criminal liability or professional  disciplinary actions for doctors who participate in “good faith compliance” with the law.

2. Protection from life or annuity insurance problems due to suicide (“Neither may a qualified patient’s at of ingesting a covered medication have an effect upon a life, health, accident, insurance, or annuity policy”)

3. Minimal reporting requirements and secrecy in public records (“The Department will generate and make available to the public an annual statistical record of information collected”) Emphasis added.

4. Require mental health evaluation only for the purpose of determining if the person is mentally capable to make the decision to end his or her life. (“‘Counseling’ means one or more consultations as necessary between a state licensed psychiatrist or psychologist  and a patient for the purpose of determining that the patient is capable and not suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgment.”)

CONCLUSION

There are many reasons to oppose legalizing assisted suicide including risk for elder abuse, discrimination against people with disabilities and/or terminal or chronic conditions, the destruction of the most basic rule of medical ethics to not kill patients or help them kill themselves, suicide contagion, etc.

Assisted suicide, legalized and approved by society, is a manifestation of despair and abandonment-not empowerment. We cannot afford to be bystanders while others like Compassion and Choices continue to demand that we all accept legalized assisted suicide as a constitutional and civil right.

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Urgent: Will Congress Stop the Washington D.C. Assisted Suicide Law in Time? Write Now!