Proceeding down this path would be both a moral and practical failure, violating the sanctity of life and leading to a further erosion in the health and well-being of society’s most vulnerable.
At a time that New York State is struggling to address the spiraling numbers of “deaths of despair” resulting from alcoholism, substance abuse, and suicides, this legislation is a giant step in the wrong direction.
In attachments are the talking points I referred to you in our conversation this morning. I can not stress enough to urge everyone on our side to stay clear away from bringing up religion, moral theology, prolife, and things like that.
The problem is the proposed Bill is a Bad Policy Bill, and the reasons pointed out should be our mantra.
One can be for the concept, but not these bills. (2025 #A136 & #S138).
I will be dropping off to your office , as discussed, our brochure which contains all of the short bullet points.
Most Sincerely,
Dawn C . Eskew1.631.487.7578
By Lisa Blumberg (pictured right) and Not Dead Yet.
It is disturbing that at a time when the healthcare system is so broken and so many people struggle to get the care and practical support, they need that New York would want to try repeatedly pass legislation which would legalize doctor assisted suicide. The state has shown good judgment in rejecting the idea before and should reject it now.
The pandemic has made evident the deadly health care disparities that people of color, older people and persons with disabilities have always been subjected to. Any law which enables doctors to write lethal prescriptions at the request of people deemed to have six months or less to live, as this bill would, increases risk for devalued patients.
Despite common misconceptions, uncontrollable pain is not a primary reason that people turn to assisted suicide. Data indicates that people often request lethal prescriptions due to perceived lessening of autonomy, or feelings of being burden. As Cliff Perez, a disability rights activist, states, “these reasons are… existential or disability related and ought to be addressed with quality, multidisciplinary care, not death.” It is not so much how individuals view living with limitations caused by illness or disability, but society’s stigma and failure to provide practical supports to address such limitations.
By Leif Le Mahieu
The Tennessee General Assembly sent two bills cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to Republican Governor Bill Lee’s desk on Tuesday as the legislative session came to a close.
One bill would ban publicly funded universities and state and local governments from maintaining DEI offices, while the other bill would prohibit those same entities from making hiring decisions based on race. Both bills passed with overwhelming Republican support.
“DEI violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said on Tuesday. “We don’t need DEI in our state, Mr. Speaker. We need to hire people and promote people based on their merit. Diversity is a wonderful thing and it will happen. But we’re not going to make diversity the number one objective when we’re trying to serve our constituents and hire good people to take care of our constituents. It will be based on qualifications and merit.”
Today marks the Nevada Legislature’s first committee house passage deadline, which typically marks the largest round of bill deaths in the 120-day legislative session.
Ellen Barrosse [pictured left] is the retired CEO of Synchrogenix Information Strategies, a global pharmaceutical services company founded in Delaware.
As the Delaware legislature debates House Bill 140, a measure to legalize physician-assisted suicide, the discussion typically centers on individual autonomy and end-of-life dignity. However, emerging research reveals troubling and unintended consequences: The legalization of assisted suicide is associated with increases in non-assisted suicide rates across the general population — a phenomenon known as “suicide contagion.”
At a time when Delaware and the nation are experiencing record-high suicide rates, with it ranking as the second-leading cause of death for Americans aged 1-44, research from the Southern Medical Journal on U.S. states that have legalized assisted suicide shows an increase of up to 3.3 additional non-assisted suicide deaths per 100,000 residents. For Delaware, this translates to approximately 34 additional lives lost each year. The numbers may not be the same here. Instead of 34, maybe, in Delaware, only 15-20 additional non-assisted suicides will occur. We cannot know the exact number. But, based on study after study, we know the number won’t be zero.
These aren’t just statistics — they represent our neighbors, colleagues and loved ones. Some of these individuals are young people with decades of potential ahead of them, their lives cut short not by terminal illnesses but by choices made in moments of despair.