New Bill to Overturn Baxter

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

Senator Carl Glimm will be introducing a new bill to overturn Montana's Baxter decision.  

The purpose will be to clarify once and for all that physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Montana. 

To learn more, please click here.

A Short History of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in Montana

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA 

State Capitol

Assisted suicide means that someone provides the means and/or information for another person to commit suicide.  If a doctor is involved, the practice may be termed physician-assisted suicide.  Euthanasia is the administration of a lethal agent by another person. 

A.  Assisted Suicide

In 1895, the Montana Legislature enacted a criminal statute prohibiting assisted suicide as a "crime against the public safety."[1] In 1907, 1921 and 1947, this statute was re-codified, but its text remained unchanged.[2] The statute stated: "Every person who deliberately aids, or advises or encourages another to commit suicide is guilty of a felony."[3]

Join Us at the Fair!

This month, Choice is an Illusion will be at the fair in both Montana and Washington State. We have a long history of working in Montana, but this will be our first time in Washington.

In Montana, we will have a booth at the NW Montana Fair & Rodeo, in Kalispell, August 14-18, 2019. Click here to read our event flyer to learn more.

The Northwest Montana Fair

Thank you to our volunteers who braved the smoke to join us at the 2018 Northwest Montana Fair in Kalispell.

We educated the public about problems with legalization, including how people with years to live are encouraged to throw away their lives, and fatal elder abuse.

Thanks especially, to everyone who worked the table, including Lucinda Hardy of Columbia Falls, Gail Bell of Bozeman and Linda Clark of Seattle. To read Lucinda's story, click here. To read Gail's story, click here.

Thank You Senator Hinkle

L-R, Margaret Dore, Senator Greg
Hinkle (ret.) and his wife,
Gail Hinkle

Choice is an Illusion & it supporters had a great time at the Northwest Montana Fair where it hosted an information booth in opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Volunteers included former State Senator Greg Hinkle, who stood alone to stand up against assisted suicide legalization. His leadership was a key reason for the 2011 defeat of SB 167, which had sought to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Montana.

Since then bills seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Montana have repeatedly failed.

In Oregon, Other Suicides Have Increased with the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide

By Margaret K. Dore, Esq.

Since the passage of Oregon’s law allowing physician-assisted suicide, other suicides in Oregon have steadily increased. This is consistent with a suicide contagion in which the legalization of physician-assisted suicides has encouraged other suicides. In Oregon, the financial and emotional impacts of suicide on family members and the broader community are devastating and long-lasting.[1]

Hall Declaration: " If Dr. Stevens had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead"

I, JEANETTE HALL, declare as follows:

1.  I live in Oregon where assisted suicide is legal. Our law was enacted in 1997 via a ballot measure that I voted for.

2.  In 2000, I was diagnosed with cancer and told that I had 6 months to a year to live. I knew that our law had passed, but I didn’t know exactly how to go about doing it. I tried to ask my doctor, Kenneth Stevens, but he didn’t really answer me. In hindsight, he was stalling me.

3.  I did not want to suffer. I wanted to do our law and I wanted Dr. Stevens to help me. Instead, he encouraged me to not give up and ultimately I decided to fight the cancer. I had both chemotherapy and radiation. I am so happy to be alive!

4.  It has now been 17 years since my diagnosis. If Dr. Stevens had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead. Assisted suicide should not be legal.

_/s/__________
Jeanette Hall

When Euthanasia Becomes Murder

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/when-euthanasia-becomes-murder

By Barry Brownstein

In the Netherlands an elderly woman suffering from dementia was held down against her protests as a lethal injection was administered by a doctor. In the days before her “euthanasia” she repeatedly said “I don’t want to die.” The doctor was cleared of wrongdoing.

Another elderly woman in the Netherlands was euthanized due to her supposed “unhappiness” about living in a nursing home. This despite testimony from the staff that she was often “content and friendly.”

Montana lawmaker revives bill to prohibit physician-assisted suicide

Senator Olszewski

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/montana-legislature/montana-lawmaker-revives-bill-to-ban-doctor-assisted-suicide/article_6c0d6cda-0f0e-5bc7-8b05-86a4abcebbeb.html?platform=hootsuite

BOBBY CAINA CALVAN Associated Press Mar 22, 2017

HELENA – A Montana lawmaker has revived an attempt to outlaw physician-assisted suicides, this time with a twist: There's no mention of physicians or suicides.

But Republican Sen. Albert Olszewski, an orthopedic surgeon from Kalispell, acknowledged that the bill he introduced this week is a replacement measure for one that died in the House in a 50-50 vote. The measure needed at least half of all votes cast to advance.

"It died because one person mistakenly pushed the wrong button on the House floor," Olszewski said. "If that's true, then we'll give her an opportunity to redeem herself."

Resolution Addresses "Mistaken Assumption That Suicide Is a Rational Response to Disability"

Representative Brad Tschida

Representative Brad Tschida has introduced Joint House Resolution No. 14 to include people with chronic health conditions in Montana's Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan for 2017.  A key paragraph notes: 

Until recently, the Montana Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan was considering assisted suicide of the terminally ill as a separate issue from suicide prevention. The active disability community in Montana, however, has been vocal on the need for suicide prevention services for individuals with disabilities. . . . . Individuals with disabilities have a right to responsive suicide prevention services. 

There is a specific recommendation to "address . . . the mistaken assumption that suicide is a rational response to disability."