Tell the New Hampshire Senate to Oppose Assisted Suicide
Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the NH House narrowly passed HB1283, a bill to legalize physician assisted suicide, and it is now in the Senate. A hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday (4/24) @ 10am in NH’s Legislative Office Building, room 101.
Over the next week, you have several opportunities to stand up for the vulnerable among us by helping to defeat HB1283:
1) Pray that the Senate HHS committee and the NH Senate as a whole would vote down this bill
2) Register your opposition to HB1283 through the Gencourt website (click on 4/24, select Senate Health and Human Services, select HB1283, tell them “I Oppose this Bill”, and click “Continue”). Please do this by Tue, 4/23.
3) Email the Senate HHS Committee to tell them that you oppose HB1283. Their email addresses are: Regina.Birdsell@leg.state.nh.
4) Testify in person if you are available. 10am, Wed, 4/24 in NH’s Legislative Office Building (33 N State St, Concord, NH), room 101.
We’ve included some talking points you can use below.
Key talking points:
- Works against our efforts to prevent suicide. The data shows that all suicides go up when states legalize assisted suicide. By about 6.3% for the whole population, and 14.5% among individuals over 65. [full paper]
- In Oregon, patients like Barbara Wagner & Randy Stroup were denied life-saving treatments and offered suicide instead. Will insurance companies prioritize profit over patients?
- With an increasing percentage of medical expenditures being funneled through government programs, we cannot allow death to be added to the available cost containment menu (from House Majority leader Jason Osborne)
- Having physicians assist in suicide reduces trust in healthcare providers, which is why it is prohibited by the Hippocratic Oath
- Legalizing physician-assisted suicide could lead to a slippery slope, with the potential for expansion to include those with chronic but treatable conditions like diabetes and HIV. Colorado has even had assisted suicides for mental health issues like anorexia, with a law similar to HB1283.
- No residency requirement. NH could become a death tourism destination, creating a profitable industry that then lobbies for expansions.
- The bill could worsen existing healthcare inequities, making death a more accessible option than life-saving treatment for vulnerable populations such as those with disabilities.
- The National Council on Disability extensively documented the negative effects of Assisted Suicide on disabled individuals in a 70 page paper. All prominent disability organizations oppose Assisted Suicide legislation.
LifeNews Note: Jason Hennessey is the president of New Hampshire Right to Life.
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