Washington State: Conrad Reynoldson Makes a Difference

By Margaret Dore, Esq.

Bill HB 1141, which had sought to expand Washington State's assisted suicide and euthanasia law, is dead. From my vantage point, a big reason was a young lawyer named Conrad Reynoldson (pictured here).  

Reynoldson is founder and lead attorney of Washington Civil & Disability Advocate, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit, formed to ensure individuals with disabilities a low-cost option to protect their civil rights.

Reynoldson, himself, did not take the credit, sending out an email thanking others for the win. 

Washington State Expansion Bill Dead

By Barbara Lyons (pictured here)

The Washington State expansion of assisted suicide bill, HB 1141, is dead. It passed in the House by a 60-37 vote and cleared several Senate committees.  

Thanks to the dedicated, persistent work of a diverse coalition of people in the disability rights, medical, right-to-life and faith communities, the Senate adjourned last night without taking up the bill. It is dead for this session.  

Jersey Debates Euthanasia

Jersey is a British Crown dependency, near the coast of Normandy France.  

On April 6, 2021, ITV Channel reporter Sophie Dulson provided this report.

The law on assisted dying [euthanasia] in Jersey is being reviewed by a Citizen's Jury, and it is expected to start a conversation which could lead to a debate on the law in Jersey's States Assembly.

The panel is made up of 23 members who will hear evidence on both sides of the assisted dying debate before reaching a conclusion by the end of May 2021. 

French Euthanasia Bill Blocked

By Hannah Thompson 

To view original article, click here.

The Social Affairs Commission had debated and voted for the bill, but it has now been blocked by 3,000 amendments.

A proposal to legalise assisted dying for people with incurable diseases has been blocked in the French parliament, largely by five opposition party MPs.

The MPs from the opposition party Les Républicains submitted 2,158 amendments to the bill, of a total of 3,000. This means the proposal is very unlikely to be adopted as planned on Thursday April 8.

Latvia Parliament Rejects Euthanasia Initiative

Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, has rejected the “For Good Death” initiative, which had called for the legalization of euthanasia. 49 members voted in favor of rejection, 38 against, two abstained.

At the beginning of February, the public initiative portal Manabalss.lv collected the necessary 10,000 signatures on an initiative to legalize euthanasia in Latvia. 

Previously, the citizens' initiative on euthanasia legalization was rejected by the Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Commission. 

Portugal Euthanasia Bill Declared Unconstitutional

  

 

by Filipe Avillez. For original article click here

Portugal’s euthanasia bill has been declared unconstitutional by the country’s top court.

Parliament initially approved five proposed laws on euthanasia in February 2020, these were then streamlined into a single bill which was approved by the house and sent to the President, who had the option of signing it outright, vetoing it or sending it to the constitutional court. He chose the latter, asking the judges to look specifically at issues with the terminology.

Pro-euthanasia parties – mostly left-wing, with the notable exception of the Communist Party, which has come out firmly against euthanasia – ignored the opinions of every expert organization in approving the law, including the doctors’, nurses’ and lawyers’ guilds and the ethics committee.