Last month, we shared a press release issued by Colorado activists from Not Dead Yet and ADAPT protesting an appearance by Compassion and Choices CEO Barbara Coombs Lee in Boulder, Colorado.
Since then, it’s become apparent that Colorado is indeed one of the states being targeted for legalization of assisted suicide. KUSA Channel 9 broadcast a story about proposed legislation that featured parts of an interview with NDY board member Anita Cameron.
Unfortunately, the video isn’t captioned, but there’s a print story underneath the video on this link.
Here’s an excerpt covering Anita’s part in the story:
But it’s not just religious groups who want to keep doctors from having the ability to end a life. Disability advocacy groups across the country worry about the implications of these laws. They fear those with disabilities will be coerced into using the law to end their lives early.
Anita Cameron is nearly blind, has multiple sclerosis and suffers from a condition called cerebellar ataxia. She sits on the board of a national disability organization called “Not Dead Yet.”
“This right to die is going to turn into the duty to die because people will be coerced,” Cameron said.
It’s a concern often voiced by groups like “Not Dead Yet.” They fear that people with disabilities and the elderly, with worsening conditions, may be pressured into seeking life-ending medication even if they do not really want to die.
“As your condition progresses, you require more care or more services, you are more apt to feel, I don’t want to be a burden to my family,” Cameron said.
These are excellent comments. Like many of us who have gone through interviews in which only a statement or two get broadcast or printed, Anita reported in a Facebook post that she felt other points she made were stronger ones. That’s one of the tricky things about edited interviews – you have to make sure you stick to strong and valid points since anything that seems fuzzy or weak will be the one the reporter most often uses. Obviously, if Anita thought the above remarks weren’t her strongest points, she succeeded (and better than I have in many instances) in making only strong points and statements.