By Margaret Dore, Esq.
SB 220 seeks to legalize Oregon-style assisted suicide in Montana.
To read a legal analysis of SB 220, click here. To read the attachments to that analysis, click here.
The introduction to the analysis states:
This memo discusses why the claim that SB 220 will assure patient control is untrue. SB 220 is instead a recipe for elder abuse. The bill puts the elderly in the crosshairs of their heirs and abusive family members.
SB 220 also eliminates safeguards such as waiting periods that supposedly render the Oregon and Washington laws safe. Doctor reporting is also eliminated.
The former Hemlock Society, Compassion & Choices, claims that this is because Oregon’s reporting system has "demonstrated the safety of the practice." To the contrary, Oregon’s reports support that the claimed safety is speculative. The reported statistics are also consistent with elder abuse. No wonder Compassion & Choices wants the reporting system gone.
To contact your legislators, go here: http://leg.mt.gov/css/About-the-Legislature/Lawmaking-Process/contact-legislators.asp