Physician-Assisted Suicide | ROCKLAND RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE

Liz O’Brien, Jeanmarie Grahn, and Judy Murray from Rockland Right to Life outside the Senate Chamber in Albany at Lobby for Life Day.

Opposing legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide in New York and a separate package of bills that would deny treatment to the medically vulnerable received top priority at New York Right to Life’s Lobby for Life Day, held at the Capitol in Albany on April 29.

Over 250 prolifers from all around New York State came to a rally at the state house and to meet with their legislators about the dangerous implications of these bills.

Rockland Right to Life was represented by Liz O’Brien, chairperson, of Upper Nyack; Jeanmarie Grahn, secretary, of New City, and member Judy Murray, also of New City. They discussed the legislation with the two senators representing Rockland, Sen. Bill Larkin (R-SD 39) and Sen. David Carlucci (D-SD 38). Continue reading →

New York State Assembly Bill A2129-2015
“Establishes ‘the death with dignity act’; allows terminally-ill New Yorkers to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medication”

New York State Senate Bill S3685-2105
“Establishes the New York end of life options act; . . . authorizes the presription of aid-in-dying medication to individuals with terminal illness . . .”

These two bills were recently introduced in the NYS Assembly and Senate to legalize physician-assisted suicide in our state. They have been referred to the Health Committees of their respective houses. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) has already voiced opposition to the bill.

Defending the life of the unborn has traditionally received most of the attention of the right-to-life community. The logo on our Rockland banner, for example, is unborn child in a heart. But there’s always been a second front to our battle — protecting life at the other end of the spectrum, the lives of the elderly and terminally ill.

The fight has now come to our own backyard. Four states already have physician-assisted suicide legislation: Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. We can’t let it happen here.

Please learn everythng you can about the issue. Think about it. Pray about it. Talk to your friends. Write to your legislators. You can send them an email via the NYS Catholic Conference Action Center here.

New York State Catholic Conference Memo of Opposition to proposed physician-assisted suicide legislation

Statement on NY assisted-suicide bills from disability rights group Not Dead Yet

Ross Douthat –“The Last Right — Why America Is Moving Slowly on Assisted Suicide” (op-ed, the New York Times)