According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, 65% of the Latino community is against assisted suicide. That’s more than half of the Latino community. We understand how dangerous these practices are. But I would like to see the entire community against assisted suicide.
Have you heard of the Disability perspective? I am going to give it to you through this essay.
Jensen Caraballo
I was organizing with ADAPT when I first learned about the anti-assisted suicide movement. I was getting arrested for disability rights issues; in particular issues of forced institutionalization. I was once forced into an institution too, which is what drove me towards the Disability community. I learned about assisted suicide through my work in the field. I never learned about the anti-assisted suicide movement until after I started engaging in disability rights organizing. I did some advocacy with Not Dead Yet and nonviolent direct action in Chicago.
My name is Jensen Caraballo, I was born with a neuromuscular Disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and I am originally from Puerto Rico. I am going to give you some hard facts about assisted suicide and why I am against it.
One problem is doctors’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. “In [a] survey of 714 practicing US physicians nationwide, 82.4 percent reported that people with significant disability have worse quality of life than nondisabled people. . . . [T]hese findings about physicians’ perceptions of this population raise questions about ensuring equitable care to people with disability. Potentially biased views among physicians could contribute to persistent health care disparities affecting people with disability.” (Lisa Iezzoni, et al., Physicians’ Perceptions Of People With Disability And Their Health Care,” Health Affairs, February 2021)
The main reasons people want assisted suicide have nothing to do with pain.
According to the Oregon data, where assisted suicide has been legal the longest, the reasons are: loss of autonomy, decreasing ability to participate in enjoyable activities, loss of dignity, feelings of being an emotional or financial burden on family and loved ones, and loss of control of bodily functions, such as incontinence and vomiting.
Terminally ill people are part of the Disability community. This means that Disabled people will be murdered by mistake, coercion or abuse. This is damaging to the Disability community. It is dangerous. Nondisabled people receive suicide prevention, while Disabled people get assisted suicide.
I am affirmatively against assisted suicide. It’s too easy. Disabled people experience torture and punishment for swearing in institutions. We experience immense violence. This is happening every single day.
As a Disabled Latino man, I feel assisted suicide laws are dangerous. A person can administer death medicine without the person’s consent. Doctors think disabled people have no quality of life.
We want community-based services and palliative care. It’s too easy for abusers to kill off Disabled people without their consent. Disabled people are often denied community supports while society is offering assistance with suicide.
Some people are locked away in nursing homes. They are trapped in nursing facilities. Institutionalized. Forgotten. Alone. Wondering about freedom and a life full of choices. Autonomy. Where people get to decide exactly how they want to exist. Assisted suicide is dangerous for the Disability community.
ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today)
ADAPT National
American Association of People with Disabilities
Assn of Programs for Rural Independent Living
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
National Council on Disability
National Council on Independent Living
National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities
National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Not Dead Yet
TASH
The Arc of the United States
United Spinal Association
World Institute on Disability
We want community based services for Disabled people and fair pay for home care for our homecare attendants and a bill of rights for domestic workers.
Our needs are normal. They are not special. I live in the community in my own apartment with 24/7, 168 hours per week of home care services. I have Consumer directed personal attendant services (CDPAS). I’ve traveled to Japan for culture exchange.
Assisted suicide is scary and dangerous to the disability community. We understand suffering. We suffer exceptional pain. But we do it together. We have to uplift each other and be in loving and caring community.
Show Love. Spread Love and Light upon this darkness. Give people support. Spread life. Spread joy. Be a light to darkness. Assisted suicide is darkness. It’s violent. It’s dangerous. It’s wrong. It should be illegal and stay illegal. Life is worth living. Life is bearable. Life is better when people feel supported and loved and important to the community. Change is needed. I will help make this change. You should make a decision to do the same. You have the power.
Protect Disabled Lives in Massachusetts: Oppose S.1384/ H.2381, which would legalize assisted suicide & risk the lives of disabled people. Use this FORM to send the message to the MA Joint Committee on Health Care Financing that these bills must not pass!
Social Media Templates and Post Ideas
HASHTAGS
Use these hashtags on your posts about S.1384 / H.2381 (MA Assisted Suicide legislation).
Senator Cindy Friedman, @CindyFriedmanMA on Twitter
Senator Harriette Chandler, @Sen_Chandler on Twitter
Rep. John Lawn, @repjohnlawn on Twitter
Rep. Jay Livingstone, @jaylivingstone on Twitter
Senate President Karen Spilka, @KarenSpilka on Twitter
Speaker Ron Mariano, @RonMariano on Twitter
SOCIAL MEDIA POST TEXT TEMPLATES
These templates meet the 240 character limit on Twitter, but you can also use them on any social media platform!
Oppose the passage of S1384/H2381 in MA, @[LEGISLATOR]! Legalizing assisted suicide will result in unnecessary death and the coercion and endangerment of thousands of MA residents with disabilities.
Nothing in S1384/H2381 can stop a bad actor from steering someone towards assisted suicide, picking up the lethal dose, and even administering the drug — no witnesses are required at the death. Tell legislators not to pass this dangerous bill!
Thanks for taking action against legalizing assisted suicide in MA! Please use the following template to send an email to legislators on the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing by following the three easy steps below:
1. Decide who to send your letter to. You can send it to all committee members or to leadership members. Here are the email addresses for each leadership member of the committee, as well as the town(s) they represent:
Senator Cindy Friedman, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing: Cindy.Friedman@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1432. Representing Woburn, Arlington, Lexington, Burlington, and Billerica.
Senator Harriette Chandler, Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing: Harriette.Chandler@masenate.gov / (617) 722-1544. Representing Boylston, Clinton, Holden, Northborough, Princeton and West Boylston, and Worcester.
Rep. John Lawn, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing: John.Lawn@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2430. Newton, Waltham, Watertown.
Rep. Jay Livingstone, House Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing: Jay.Livingstone@mahouse.gov / (617) 722-2575. Parts of Boston and Cambridge.
2. Copy and paste the letter below into an email. Be sure to change the details highlighted in yellow to match your own personal details! Feel free to add any relevant personal anecdotes as well, but try to keep the letter fairly short overall.
3. Send the emails! When you’re done, please fill out this quick Google Form so we can track how many people are sending emails about this.
BONUS: Check out our Social Media Action Guide for post templates and graphics that you can use to encourage others to take action as well!
That’s it! You’ve done it! Thank you SO much!
SUBJECT: Protecting the Lives of Disabled Massachusetts Residents
Dear NAME,
I am a resident of [TOWN] writing to urge you to oppose the passage of S.1384 / H.2381 , An Act Relative To End of Life Options. Legalizing assisted suicide, also referred to as medical aid in dying, will result in the coercion, endangerment and unnecessary death of too many Massachusetts residents with disabilities.
Many people considering assisted suicide are not doing so because of unmanaged pain, but because of societal stigma against disability, also referred to as “ableism”. A 2021 report about the use of assisted suicide in Oregon, where it has been legal since 1997, finds that the 5 most common reported reasons patients consider assisted suicide have nothing to do with pain, but with the “loss of dignity” and lack of access to social activities thought to result from disabling conditions. This means that our legislative priorities should not revolve around expediting the death of patients with serious illnesses or disabilities, but around making Massachusetts a more accepting and accessible place for disabled people and improving access to palliative care and pain management so that death does not seem a better option than life.
Additionally, everyone is vulnerable to suggestion and persuasion. Nothing prevents self-interested family membersand medical professionals from pushing for assisted suicide. Meanwhile, it is estimated that 1 in 10 Massachusetts older adults are abused every year, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated this issue. Nothing in the law can stop an heir or abusive caregiver from steering someone towards assisted suicide, witnessing the request, picking up the lethal dose, and even administering the drug — no witnesses are required at the death.
Finally, assisted suicide laws lead to the denial of suicide prevention services to seriously ill and disabled people, a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s guarantee of equal program access. Assisted suicide laws redefine depression and feeling like
a burden as “rational,” rather than as evidence of impairment or need for intervention, as they would be for a non-disabled person. This means that sick and disabled people living with depression may be encouraged to consider assisted suicide under the same conditions that a non-disabled person would be offered mental health resources.
In conclusion, legalizing assisted suicide in Massachusetts will further endanger the lives of an already vulnerable population. No amount of “safeguards” in the bill will protect disabled residents from dying prematurely if assisted suicide becomes legal in our cost-conscious healthcare system. I urge you to prevent this bill from moving further in the legislative process.
NDY is thrilled to announce that Jules Good is joining our team as Assistant Director and Policy Analyst. This is a new position at NDY established to help implement NDY’s policy priorities at the state and national levels as they affect legislation, regulations, legal cases, and activities of government and health care providers in the areas of assisted suicide and euthanasia, withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, futile care policies and more.
Jules Good (they/them)
Jules Good (they/them) is a disability justice activist and policy analyst. They are late-Deaf and multiply-disabled. Jules holds a Master in Public Policy from the University of New Hampshire, and formerly worked as the Relay and Assistive Technology Outreach Specialist with Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. They also founded their own organization, Neighborhood Access, which works with communities to help them make their presence and practices more accessible to disabled people. Jules serves as a member of the White House Office of Public Engagement Disability Advisory Council, as well as a member of the Fair Fight Action Disability Council. Jules has worked with nonprofits, state agencies, and private businesses to aid in making their practices and processes more accessible to the disabled community. They are deeply involved in disability justice work both locally in their current home state of New Hampshire, and nationally.
Please join us in welcoming Jules to the NDY staff!
“Jules brings a broad set of skills to NDY’s efforts, including strong social media experience and a crucial ability to communicate with and engage younger disabled people in these life and death issues.” – Diane Coleman, President/CEO, Not Dead Yet
“Our board is thrilled to welcome Jules into this important position where their passion for disability justice issues and nuanced communication skills will help expand the reach of our mission and work.” – Emily Wolinsky, NDY Board Chair
“I am thrilled and honored to be stepping into this role. I have admired NDY’s work for years and look forward to the opportunity to apply my skills and passion in this crucial area of disability policy. I am eager to engage with NDY’s partners and collaborate in building a world where disabled people can not only survive, but thrive.” – Jules Good, Assistant Director/Policy Analyst
A recent news story on the New York assisted suicide bill included a one-minute interview with NDY’s founder and President/CEO, though the full story began and ended with a much longer video provided by the national organization that supports these bills.
Diane Coleman with breathing mask
Here are the NDY quotes:
“These policies are especially a danger to people with disabilities of all ages,” explained Diane Coleman of the disability advocacy group,Not Dead Yet.
Coleman said she’s studied other states where medical aid in dying is already in place.
“I think a lot of people assume it’s pain (why people choose to die) but that isn’t the case, the top five reasons are disability-related things like not being able to do the same things you used to do, feeling like a burden on others, feeling like you’ve lost your dignity,” she tells News10NBC.
All issues, Coleman says can be eased with access to proper home care.
“We also know that doctors aren’t that great at predicting the 6 months, I mean I’ve certainly experienced that and many disabled people have been told, well you’re on your last legs here,” she said.
Coleman also has concerns about the safety of the medication being in a home after it is prescribed and filled.
For the whole local news story and video, go HERE.
[Note: The title of the story – “Should terminally ill patients have the right to end their lives?” – is misleading because no one needs permission to end their own life. The purpose of assisted suicide laws is to grant broad legal immunities to 3rd parties who assist the suicide.]
