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."

SB is 202 Dead.

On February 11, 2015, SB 202, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, was tabled in committee.  With the close of the legislature, the bill is now dead.

Under the bill, young adults with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, would have been "eligible" for assisted suicide and euthanasia.  The bill, if passed, would have created the following problems:

• The encouragement of people with years to live to throw away their lives.  
• The creation of new paths of elder abuse, especially for people with money (in the inheritance context).
• The empowerment of health care systems to steer patients to suicide, which is documented in Oregon, one of the few states where assisted suicide is legal. 
• An increase in other "conventional" suicides, including violent suicides by firearms, which is the case in Oregon. 

To view documentation regarding these problems, and other problems with legalization, please click here for the text; click here for the attachments

Thank you to everyone for your help to make the defeat of SB 202 possible.

SB 202 Presumed Dead

On February 11, 2015, SB 202, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, was tabled in committee.  The bill is now presumed dead.

Under the bill, young adults with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, would have been "eligible" for assisted suicide and euthanasia.  The bill, if passed, would have created the following problems:

• The encouragement of people with decades to live to throw away their lives.  
• The creation of new paths of elder abuse, especially for people with money (in the inheritance context).
• The empowerment of health care systems to steer patients to suicide, which is well documented in Oregon, one of the few states where assisted suicide is legal. 
• An increase in other "conventional" suicides, including violent suicides by firearms, which is the case in Oregon. 

To view documentation regarding these problems, and other problems with legalization, please click here for the text; click here for the attachments

Thank you to everyone for your help to make the defeat of SB 202 possible.

Tell Your Legislators to Vote "Yes" on HB 477!

HB 477 will reverse Baxter and send a clear message that medical killings are prohibited and against public policy.  Individuals will be protected from the medical establishment, individual doctors and family members with something to gain.

A.  Involuntary Medical Killings.

Throughout the US, there are increasing reports of involuntary medical killings.[1] Consider a 2012 case against Kaiser Healthcare. Doctors killed the patient, a wealthy older man, through a “terminal extubation.” His daughters had allegedly urged this result in order to obtain large inheritances.[2]  In Montana, examples include Dr. James Mungas, who was killed under the guise of hospice/palliative care.  His widow, Carol Mungas, states:

It is traumatic, still, to realize his last communications were attempts to get help.[3]

B.  Likely Problems

Baxter has created confusion in the law and has emboldened some doctors and family members to publicly admit participation in assisted suicides.  If HB 477 is not enacted, this situation will likely lead to defacto legality and the following problems:

    1.  New paths of elder abuse, especially for people with money.

Legal assisted suicide creates new paths of elder abuse. Consider, for example, the Thomas Middleton case, where legal physician-assisted suicide in Oregon was part of a financial elder abuse fraud.

    2.  Steerage to suicide.

It is well documented that Oregon's Medicaid program steers patients to suicide (suicide is covered in lieu of treatments for cure or to extend life).  Private health plans and providers have this same ability. To learn more, see this affidavit by Oregon doctor, Kenneth Stevens, MD.

    3.  Pressure on patients. 

See this letter by Marlene Deakins, RN, describing the pressure put on her brother after he merely asked a question about assisted suicide in Washington State.

    4.  More conventional suicides, including violent suicides.

In Oregon, conventional suicides, including violent suicides, have substantially increased with legalization of assisted suicide. This is consistent with a suicide contagion.  The financial cost of these suicides is "enormous."  For more information, click here.

    5.  Pressure to expand to non-terminal people.

In Washington state, there have been "trial balloon" proposals to expand its law to non-terminal people, including those who have simply fallen on hard times. See e.g., this column in the Seattle Times, suggesting euthanasia for people without money for their old age.  

C.  Contact Your Legislators.

Contact your legislators and urge them to vote "YES" on HB 477.

* * *
[1]  Peter Whoriskey, "As More Hospices Enroll Patients who Aren't Dying, Questions About Lethal Doses Arise," The Washington Post, August 21, 2014. 
[2] William Dotinga, “Grim Complaint Against Kaiser Hospital,” Feb. 6, 2012.
[3] Carol Mungas, at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/i-support-house-bill-505-which-clearly.html 

HB 477 PASSES the House

Yesterday, HB 477, which overrules Montana's Baxter decision by clarifying that physician-assisted suicide is against public policy and prohibited, passed the House of Representatives.

Many thanks to our sponsor, Representative Jerry Bennett, for making this happen.

The next step is the Senate.

HB 477 Passes Third Reading

Today, HB 477, providing that physician-assisted suicide is against public policy, passed on third reading on the floor of the House of Representatives, with a tie vote, 51 to 48.  The bill seeks to overturn Montana's Baxter decision, which gives doctors who assist a suicide a potential defense to a homicide charge.

Another bill, HB 328, which had also sought to overturn Baxter, failed 51 to 49.  SB 202, which would have legalized physician-assisted suicide, is apparently dead in Committee.

We thank everyone who helped us get this far, especially our sponsor, Representative Jerry Bennett, our volunteers and our financial contributors.

[UPDATE:  On April 28, 2015, HB 477 died in the Senate Judiciary Committee]