My name is Kate Blisard. I thank you for the opportunity to speak today concerning S1072 the “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act.”
I have been a disability advocate for 30+ years. During that time, I have fought for a better life in the community for hundreds of people who were committed to state institutions and nursing facilities. Those I have served are, in many ways, the most vulnerable members both of our disability community and of society at large. They are vulnerable not just because of IQ or severity of disability, but because they must rely on others to bathe, to dress, to eat, to travel—in short, to live. People with intellectual disabilities may not be able to speak up for themselves Being dependent on others does not make a person less human, but it does make them more vulnerable. This vulnerability will be exploited by S1072, despite the so-called safeguards. It will inevitably create more opportunities for abuse. This bill will not make life easier for us, just more complicated and more threatening.
I am testifying as a person with Cerebral Palsy and clinical depression. I have contemplated suicide throughout my life. I oppose S1072 because if it becomes a state law it will endanger the lives of people with disabilities. Many of us are poor, undereducated, underemployed, and rely on the government not only for our food and housing, but also for our healthcare.
If this bill passes, the lives of many people with disabilities will end, without their consent, through mistakes and abuse.
As an advocate for abused people with disabilities, I can attest that the abuse of elders and people with disabilities is a growing epidemic in the shadows, because so many of us are afraid–or unable–to report abuse. This bill grants civil and criminal immunity to anyone who is involved in ending an individual life. A family member or an heir can steer a person towards assisted suicide, witness the request, pick up the lethal dose, and even administer the drug — no witnesses required at death.
S1072 is bad for New Jersey citizens with disabilities.