Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide Holds Press Conference; Members Testify at Public Hearing on February 27th
Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide held a press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, CT on February 27th, just prior to a public hearing before the Public Health Committee to discuss this year’s proposed Connecticut assisted suicide bill, SB 1076. Co-sponsored by Second Thoughts Connecticut, speakers included Cathy Ludlum, a Second Thoughts leader; Dr. Diane Meier, Director Emerita and Strategic Advisor at the Center to Advance Palliative Care and Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and PAMAS members Nancy Alisberg, Elaine Kolb, and Joan Cavanagh.
You can watch the press conference (thanks to Stan Heller, who videotaped it) here:
Six PAMAS members also testified against the bill at the public hearing, including Alisberg and Cavanagh as well as Deborah Elkin, Paula Panzarella, Monica McGovern, and Frank Panzarella.
The Public Health Committee unfortunately passed the bill, at a meeting where none of the legislators who spoke even mentioned the many objections raised not only by PAMAS but also by disability justice activists. We expect that it will now be taken up by the Judiciary Committee. We will continue our struggle there to defeat this dangerous legislation.
Joan Cavanagh
Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide
Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide Mission Statement
Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide seeks to build a progressive, disability and human justice-based movement to prevent the legalization of medical assisted suicide and euthanasia and to end these practices where they exist. As progressives, we believe that these issues cut to the heart of what kind of society we want to live in.
We believe that the people who stand in the greatest danger of being further victimized by MAS are the poor, elderly, disabled, and people of color who are already marginalized, devalued, and threatened daily under the current medical system.
We stand for economic and civil justice; universal, comprehensive, quality, and unrestricted healthcare for all; reproductive rights; and justice and safety for LGBTQIA people. We work to open a path for our fellow progressives who share these values to also recognize the dangers of Medical Assisted Suicide and euthanasia and to join us in opposing these practices.