…On behalf of Not Dead Yet and Massachusetts Second Thoughts www.notdeadyet.org www.second-thoughts.org June 4, 2014 Chair Conaway, Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is John Kelly, and I grew up in Middletown Township. Now I am the New England Regional Director for Not Dead Yet, the national disability rights group that has long opposed euthanasia and assisted suicide. I am also the director of Massachusett…
…On behalf of Not Dead Yet and Massachusetts Second Thoughts www.notdeadyet.org www.second-thoughts.org Chair Smith and Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is John Kelly, and I am the New England Regional Director for Not Dead Yet, the national disability rights group that has long opposed euthanasia and assisted suicide. I am also the director of Massachusetts Second Thoughts: People with Disabilities Opposi…
…lities: Medical Procedures that Violate Civil Rights, at pp. 10-11. http://www.ndrn.org/images/Documents/Resources/Publications/Reports/Devaluing_People_with_Disabilities.pdf The procedures outlined in the DCD proposal appear to treat people who depend on a ventilator or other form of life support, but are not otherwise terminally ill (e.g. from end stage cancer), as though they are expendable commodities rather than people. These individuals are…
…slative session kicks off this month so stay tuned for information about how you can get involved and support our work. In the meantime, visit us at www.notdeadyet.org to learn more about what we do. Thanks for watching….
…s typically used in assisted suicide in much cheaper than the cost of most long-term medical treatment. The incentive to save money by denying treatment already poses a significant danger, and we are sitting here to consider whether we would like to make the incentive stronger. We say “No;” because if patients with limited financial means are denied other treatment options by their insurance, they are, in effect, being denied the choice of somethi…
