Ask Public Health Committee to Vote NO on Assisted Suicide
March 12th, 2014 by Peter
As you know from FIC Action’s email alerts, the Public Health Committee has until Friday, March 28th to vote on HB 5326, the Assisted Suicide bill. Please contact the members of the Committee and ask them to vote NO on HB 5326.
You can use FIC Action’s two fact sheets on the dangers of Assisted Suicide in general and the dangers of HB 5326 in particular. Below is an UPDATED list with the Committee members’ DIRECT contact information (or their legislative aides).
PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Name: Gerratana, Terry Email: Gerratana@senatedems.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0584
Name: Slossberg, Gayle Email: Slossberg@senatedems.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0482
Name: Musto, Anthony Email: Musto@senatedems.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0498
Name: Holder-Winfield, Gary Email: Holder-Winfield@senatedems.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0393
Name: Welch, Jason Email: Jason.Welch@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0567
Name: Kane, Robert Email: Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8875
Name: Johnson, Susan Email: Susan.Johnson@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8378
Name: Miller, Philip Email: Philip.Miller@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8378
Name: Alexander, David Email: David.Alexander@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0182
Name: Arconti, David Email: David.Arconti@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0182
Name: Cook, Michelle Email: Michelle.Cook@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-1467
Name: Conroy, Theresa Email: Theresa.Conroy@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0082
Name: Demicco, Mike Email: Mike.Demicco@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8532
Name: Maroney, James Email: James.Maroney@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8583
Name: Riley, Emmett Email: Emmett.Riley@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8583
Name: Ryan, Kevin Email: Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8458
Name: Sayers, Peggy Email: Peggy.Sayers@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8531
Name: Tercyak, Peter Email: Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8387
Name: Widlitz, Patricia Email: Patricia.Widlitz@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-0464
Name: Zoni, David Email: David.Zoni@cga.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8542
Name: Srinivasan, Prasad Email: Prasad.Srinivasan@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8734
Name: Betts, Whit Email: Whit.Betts@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8398
Name: Davis, Christopher Email: Christopher.Davis@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8725
Name: Hovey, DebraLee Email: DebraLee.Hovey@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8723
Name: Klarides, Themis Email: Themis.Klarides@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8718
Name: Perillo, Jason Email: Jason.Perillo@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8389
Name: Scribner, David Email: David.Scribner@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8718
Name: Ziobron, Melissa Email: Melissa.Ziobron@housegop.ct.gov Phone: (860) 240-8725
Please vote no on HB5326, the assisted suicide bill put before your committee.
Representative Whit Betts,
In response to the request that I sent to you regarding Vote NO on Bill HB 5326, Assisted Suicide. I request a vote of no from you, and you ask me to show why you should.
Every person must be guided by what is right, if there is clear direction on what is right. Doing the opposite of right is wrong, and I’m sure both of us want to have a conscience of doing the right thing.
There are some principles to think about before we act as law makers or law enforcers. In this case we are dealing with the most precious commodities the world has to offer; human beings.
1) Man didn’t create man, therefore life is not in man’s hand. The higher power, God, that created man has giving us directions on how to handle man’s life. In Gen 9:4-6, it states that man shall not take man’s life. If he takes man’s life, the government shall act on behalf of the victim, and require life for life.
2) Man has a soul. Our earthly dwelling is not the completion of our lives. Regardless of our personal beliefs about the hereafter, we have to be concerned about the state of our soul and the state of others. If a person dies they will face eternal judgment by God for what they did while living in their earthly body. So, keep a person alive as long as possible, gives the opportunity to get their soul right.
3) What is suicide? This is the question on the table, but how can we discuss this without knowing what it is?
4) From Wikipedia- Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair, the cause of which is frequently attributed to a mental disorder such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder,[1] alcoholism, or drug abuse.[2] Stress factors such as financial difficulties or troubles with interpersonal relationships often play a role. Efforts to prevent suicide include limiting access to firearms, treating mental illness and drug misuse, and improving economic development.
5) All life insurance policies have a clause that prevents benefits from being paid to the survivals if death is caused by suicide. The most dishonored death is death by suicide.
Assisted Suicide is helping a person terminate his/her life because of the above reasons. Law makers should make their decision on moral ethics. Will my decision affect me, my family and love ones in the future. Is life important? If so, then an ill condition of a person’s body shouldn’t be a reason to terminate that life.
Here are some selfish reasons people will not give, but the reasons are part of this debate.
a) The person is suffering. We all suffer in life with something. If suffering is a reason to terminate life, life should not be lived by anyone.
b) It will cause hardship financially. What percentage of the world did money bring true happiness to? Money is to be used for this very purpose.
c) It will cause hardship on families trying to take of the sick. Most to the sick people that we are debating about killing have suffered and labored to take care of the ones that are debating about killing them. If a person has to leave their job to take care of a sick love one, isn’t this part of our daily living.
What advantage is it to assist a person with suicide? It appears that the lawmakers are only discussing the disadvantage of living. If a law is passed to help a person take his/her own life, then humans is not important and life doesn’t include love. (Sidebar) All the talk about love and why same sexes are to marry each other is contrary to the doctrine of legal and assisted suicide.
If a person is one or one hundred years old and ill, they have a right to share in the Hippocratic Oath. They are to be treated with the best of medical services and medicine to be made whole. The oath is to save lives. With this medical mentality, new medicine and treatments are developed to help cure/heal the present person be treated and people in the future.
If the suicide philosophy prevails, there will be no reason to research for cures, and people lives will be ended unnecessarily, although many people have live through the same illness. If we look back at the many diseases that have plagued our world, most of them have no power over the vaccines that have been developed to save billion of lives. Clog arteries that once killed millions are no match for the invasive surgeries that prolong life for untold number of years. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetics, heart diseases and other conditions that have been defeated by the advancement of medical technology have given people many years of life after these conditions were discovered.
We are becoming a weak society that is looking for a way out of our responsibilities. Parents are giving their children to school to raise them. Husbands are walking away from their families because of the family bills. Employees don’t want to start at the bottom to work hard and earn a decent wage.
Now tell me Whit, is life worth the possibility of living a few more years so love ones can enjoy them, because of love. Or have we lost our love, and death has become an easy event, because we have no attachments to one another. There is no value in assisting a person to end their life. God bless you as you made your decision by:
Knowledge
Godliness
Conscience
The Hippocratic Oath does not endorse suicide of any kind:
I swear by Apollo, the healer, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath and agreement:
To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art; and that by my teaching, I will impart a knowledge of this art to my own sons, and to my teacher’s sons, and to disciples bound by an indenture and oath according to the medical laws, and no others.
I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.
I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.
But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.
I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.
In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or men, be they free or slaves.
All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all humanity and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my life.
—–Original Message—–
From: zRepresentative Whit Betts [mailto:Whit.Betts@housegop.ct.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 4:27 PM
To: Rutledge, Franklin
Subject: RE: Please Vote NO on HB 5326, Assisted Suicide
Dear Franklin,
Thank you for writing to me. I am personally on the fence about this issue and would love to hear more about your opinion.
Thanks,
Whit
—–Original Message—–
From: Franklin E Rutledge [mailto:franklin.rutledge@anthem.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 10:23 AM
To: zRepresentative Whit Betts
Subject: Please Vote NO on HB 5326, Assisted Suicide
Dear Representative Betts,
Please vote NO on HB 5326, which is misnamed “Aid in Dying” but is actually a bill to legalize Assisted Suicide in Connecticut. Please also oppose any other bill that legalizes Assisted Suicide.
Connecticut should not license doctors to prescribe suicide as a treatment. The Connecticut Medical Association, Connecticut Hospice Association, State Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and many other people, conservatives and progressives alike, testified against legalizing Assisted Suicide last year.
Assisted Suicide is bad public policy that puts vulnerable populations at risk. It is a recipe for elder abuse and dangerously empowers the system. In Oregon, patients desiring treatment under the Oregon Health Plan have been offered Assisted Suicide instead.
Please do not let Connecticut go down this harmful path. Please vote NO on HB 5326, the Assisted Suicide Bill.
Sincerely,
Franklin E Rutledge
232 Peacedale St
Bristol, CT 06010
Please vote against H.B. 5326! This legislation will further dehumanize, demoralize and deteriorate our society. We are all battling fragmented and violent societal shifts and new “norms” that wreak havoc on the most vulnerable amongst us. PLEASE REJECT THIS MISGUIDED BILL! It is the State’s mandate to protect its citizens. Thank you.
Please vote no to HB 5326. Prescribing suicide as a treatment does not help the public good. Aid in dying should come in the form of compassionate hospice care. Please put our public resources toward this common good, rather than supporting suicide in any form.
Please vote no on HB 5326. Do not support suicide as something which promotes the public good.
Friends, the Public Health Committee will not see what you are posting in this blog thread. We need you to email the individual Committee members at the email addresses listed above.