The Patients Rights Action Fund (PRAF), led by Matt Vallière, coordinates diverse coalitions of advocates against assisted suicide laws. Matt and his expert team have respected and supported a strong disability role in these state coalitions from early on. They have also been crucial to taking into federal court my longstanding assertion that assisted suicide laws are a deadly form of discrimination and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This month, Matt looked back on the victories of 2023 in an op-ed carried by The Hill. I was thrilled by that because it’s a publication described as “a top US political website, read by the White House and more lawmakers than any other site — vital for policy, politics and election campaigns.”
Regarding the ADA lawsuit in which United Spinal, NDY and others are also plaintiffs, Matt asserted that “California law creates even more unequal treatment for people with disabilities, puts us at greater risk of coercion, and makes us more vulnerable to a system preventing access to the care we need. It effectively funnels us toward death too soon. That’s not equal protection — it’s eugenics.” (Emphasis added.)
The op-ed also highlighted some key policy victories among health related organizations. For example, “Last year also saw the American Medical Association (AMA) reject a proposal to soften its longstanding opposition to assisted suicide.”
