The Spokane Washington Spokesman-Review reports today that an Idaho Senate committee has passed a bill approved by the Idaho Medical Association making assisting in suicide a felony. A representative of the Medical Association said of assisted suicide, “It’s not currently a part of Idaho’s standards for patient care… and doctors don’t want it to be. “ The bill will now go to the full Idaho Senate with a recommendation for passage. A similar bill was defeated in a Senate committee in Montana, but so was a bill to make assisted suicide legal in that state.
Vermont advocates of assisted suicide held a press conference today to announce their eighth attempt to legalize assisted suicide. The bill, H. 274, was introduced by Donna Sweaney (D-Windsor) with 43 co-sponsors out of 150 House members. Vermont Public Radio reported that passing the bill will be “tough”. The Associated Press noted that there is strong opposition to the bill and that its fate in the legislature is uncertain. Opposition comes from diverse groups, including the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Health Care, an association of health care professionals, and disability rights groups such as Centers for Independent Living and the Coalition for Disability Rights. True Dignity Vermont, an independent, grassroots organization, is proud to be part of the effort to defeat assisted suicide in Vermont.
Please read lawyer Margaret Dore’s article posted below. Originally published in Vermont Bar Journal, it clearly explains why legalization of assisted suicide would severely threaten real patient choice at the end of life.
Sources:
1. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/feb/17/panel-oks-assisted-suicide-bill/