Assisted suicide anything but inevitable
Assisted suicide proponents in Minnesota often claim that it’s only a matter of time before assisted suicide is legal. Reality, however, shows a different picture: people from diverse backgrounds across America are saying no to assisted suicide and preventing its spread.
So far in 2017, 23 states have rejected assisted suicide bills. These include states like New York, which Compassion and Choices has been targeting for several years, and Delaware, where the bill was held off until session ended thanks to the campaigning of anti-physician-assisted suicide coalitions.
States that rejected assisted suicide bills in 2017
Clearly, assisted suicide is anything but inevitable. In all 23 states that considered assisted suicide before their 2017 legislative session wrapped up, the dangerous, unethical practice was rejected. In most cases, the bill didn’t even get a committee hearing. From red states to blue states, the Midwest to the East Coast, the push for assisted suicide is seeing setbacks across the nation.
In fact, there’s good reason to believe that as more time passes, more states will be less likely to opt for legalization. The few states where it is legal, like Oregon and California, serve as living proof that assisted suicide is not a real form of health care, nor is it a liberating choice. Instead, it puts the vulnerable at risk, defaces the health care system, and cheapens the value of life by placing a monetary value on it.
And in Hawaii, lawmakers demonstrated that support for assisted legislation seems to actually be inversely related to familiarity with it. After their counterparts in the State Senate hurriedly passed their version of the bill, State Representatives slowed down, closely examined the bill, and rejected it.
Which leads to the observation: if anything, what seems inevitable is the defeat of assisted suicide.