hearing on Death with Dignity, S.103

[Carolyn Branagan]

There will be a hearing tomorrow on the Death With Dignity proposal currently being considered by the Vermont Senate.  Members of the public are invited to the State House tomorrow, Wednesday, March 14th, for the committee hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee on S. 103.  The hearing is scheduled to begin 15 minutes after the Senate floor action is adjourned, probably about 10am. The bill, S.103, would legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. It is important to be present and to express your opinion on this change to Vermont law. The hearing location has been changed to room 11, a larger room so that more members of the public can attend. The hearing is expected to last until noon. As soon as the hearing is over, there will be a press conference held in the Cedar Creek Room sponsored by the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare. The public is welcome to attend.

If you are unable to come to the hearing, but want to tell your Senator or Representative how you feel, you can call the State House at 802-828-2228 or toll free at 800-322-5616.  Ask for a message to be delivered to your Senators or Representatives. The Senators for Fairfax are Senator Randy Brock and Senator Sara Kittell. The Representatives for Fairfax are Rep. Carolyn Branagan and Rep. Gary Gilbert. When you call the statehouse to leave a message be sure to give your name and town and ask that the message be delivered. It’s nice to thank the person manning the phone in the Sergeant-at-arms office, as there will certainly be lots of calls coming in tomorrow!

Rep. Carolyn Branagan
Franklin-1, Fairfax/Georgia
Vermont House of Representatives

[cedarman]

I hope the bill does not phrase it as "doctor prescribed suicide".  When phrased that way, it sounds like something a doctor recommends to his/her patient, like a Rx for pain medication.

[Carolyn Branagan]

Hi Cedarman and all,

You can find the bill at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2012/bills/Intro/S-103.pdf  It is a Senate bill,  S.103 and you'll see the list of senators who sponsored it.  Chat in the halls here at the statehouse is that there are not enough votes to move the bill out  of committee  to the floor of the Senate. And if there were, it would be defeated on the Senate floor, by a close vote margin.  A few years ago a bill like this was voted in the House and failed. I voted  'no' then and if this current bill makes it over to the House,  I plan to vote 'no' again.

Let me know if you have questions about  this  bill or  about  anything happening at the statehouse. I'll try to find the answers for you.

Carolyn

[Chris Santee]

Statement of Dick Walters, President of Patient Choices at End of Life Vermont.

We are disappointed that Senators Sears & Campbell have decided not to allow a vote in the full Senate - a vote that everyone has agreed this is a vote of personal conscience. As advocates, we are prepared to fight for a vote on the Senate floor this year. We continue to see a path to passage. The Senate vote is too close to call. If the issue gets an unobstructed vote on the floor, there is a real chance it could pass.

[rod anode]

can they filibuster in the state senate

[Carolyn Branagan]

Sure. But I honestly don't think there are the votes to bring the bill to the floor. Senators Campbell and Sears are bravely refusing to bend to this powerful lobby.  Thank them. 
C.

[Carolyn Branagan]

The death with dignity bill did not make it out of committee for crossover last night. It will not go to the Senate floor for debate. Game over for this bill this session .
Carolyn

[mary]

So the victors prevailed despite efforts of a very powerful lobby.  Per the Vt Alliance for Ethical Healthcare (yes, I get it, everyone who disagrees w/you favors unethical healthcare): 

Team A:    Patient Choices at the End of Life – Vt & Vt Psychiatric Association.
Team B:    Vt Medical Society, Vt State Nurses Association, Vt Organization of Nurse Leaders, Vt Center for Independent Living, Vt Coalition for Disability Rights, Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vt Ecumenical
                Society & Vt Right to Life.

A:  An adult, competent, patient who has received palliative care and hospice referrals, been adjudged terminal and non-depressed, has the choice to request, as witnessed by a variety of non-family and non-involved adults, a physician to write a prescription for medication that the patient may self-administer after a mandatory waiting period in order to die sooner than the doctor expected.  Doctor may refuse & transfer patient. 
   
B:   Doesn’t matter how intelligent, educated, informed, and well-adjusted you are, how many safeguards, checks and double checks you propose, we know what's best for you.   

[cedarman]

"we know what's best for you"  -  arrogance at it's finest.

[cedarman]

I find it interesting how God gives us the freedom to choose our own paths (even if they might not be the "right" thing) but religious organizations always seem to support movements to REMOVE choice.

[mirjo]

It's interesting to me that you mention the Almighty, because it (He??) seems to be thrown at everything as if EVERYONE was of the same religious mindset, which everyone is not, we so quickly & easily forget.

[cedarman]

Yes Mirjo, we are not all of the same mindset which is why these discussions take place.  I haven't gone to an organized religious service in a long time, but I do believe in a benevolent God.   I just see a sense of hypocrisy in many of the stances Christian based religious organizations/individuals support, especially with respect to taking away an individuals choice.

[mirjo]

That's generally my argument with these controversial issues and many politicians and political candidates. Not everyone is of a Christian faith and while every religion is based on the basic premise of a deity, each doctrine is a little different. Not wrong, as some might have you believe, just different.  No one considers mandating Jevovah's Witnesses to get mandatory blood transfusions to save a life (something which is against their beliefs), so I don't understand why there is always such an issue on other things regarding personal choice. I thought religion was a personal choice? And other things concerning my own body??