Nationwide, we are seeing aggressive moves to – force doctors and nurses to take part in killing their patients. Full Article
Assisted suicide legislation is advancing in New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Colorado voters will decide in November whether to legalize the practice in their state.
In the few months since California’s new assisted suicide law took effect, we have already seen the first public case of something lawmakers and advocates promised would not happen. A terminally ill woman was denied insurance coverage for the chemotherapy treatment her doctor recommended, although her insurance did offer to cover suicide drugs.
Conscience, compassion and health care
We must continue to oppose assisted suicide as an unjust and dangerous public policy. It gives “end of life options” to those who already have the privilege of good health care. But for the poor, it will make suicide by prescription the “recommended” or only option. In fact, this year’s California budget includes $2.3 million to subsidize giving lethal drugs to the poor through the Medi-Cal system.
Assisted suicide is not only being promoted for the poor, but also for the mentally ill. State officials have already published disturbing new regulations to require doctors who work in state institutions for the mentally ill to help their patients kill themselves if they request it.
Nationwide, we are seeing aggressive moves to erase ancient conscience protections and force doctors and nurses to take part in killing their patients, and also to perform abortions, sterilizations, “sex reassignment” surgeries and other practices they oppose on moral grounds.
In recent months, leading medical journals have come out strongly against continued conscience protections for doctors. Practical Ethics published a statement by prominent bioethicists arguing that doctors should be forced to perform any procedure that is permitted by law.