The Times Weekly published this opinion letter by Illinois disability advocate Pam Heavens on October 2nd: The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill that will legalize physician-assisted suicide. I am a 68-year-old Disabled woman and proud member of “Stop Assisted Suicide Illinois Coalition”, which vehemently opposes this bill. This organization includes representatives from diverse […]
Second Thoughts Massachusetts member Ellen Leigh’s excellent letter appeared in the Boston Globe today: Jeff Jacoby’s column “For assistance in dying, please press 1” warns against the legalization of assisted suicide, especially highlighting its significant risks. As a disabled person, I share these concerns deeply. Activists within the disability rights community fear that legalized assisted […]
A letter to the editor from Diane Coleman was published in the New York Times recently. Published September 25th, it was sandwiched between two letters in favor of legalizing assisted suicide. All three lettersreacted to A Lawsuit Aims to Expand Aid in Dying by Paula Span which first appeared in the NYTimes and later in […]
[From August 28, 2023] Assisted suicide in NY a poor idea To the Editor: It’s ironic that Joel Freedman’s Aug. 14 essay promoting assisted suicide laws opens by noting the need to “strengthen the rights of nursing home residents and other care-dependent people.” People are too often dumped into nursing facilities by hospitals and sometimes, […]
Excellent letter in the Berkshire Eagle by Mary Makuc, member of Second Thoughts Massachusetts! To the editor: For people with severe disabilities like me, assisted suicide is not just theoretical but a real social justice issue. If law allowing for assisted suicide is passed in Massachusetts, many people could feel pressured to die. Because of […]
Buffalo News published Diane Coleman’s letter (12/27/21) describing how “Assisted Suicide Puts Pressure On The Elderly And Disabled” – that’s the title that the NY Alliance Against Assisted Suicide correctly gave it. This letter is about the deadly mix between our profit-driven health care system and legalizing assisted suicide – will insurers do the right thing […]
Push for assisted suicide raises questions over disability rights September 7, 2021 In response to an essay on the Victorian fantasy of a peaceful death, two letter writers (“Beyond the fantasy of a gentle death,” Aug. 29) called on the state Legislature to pass the proposed assisted suicide bill. Paula Bacon and Molly DeHaas Walsh describe […]
Second Thoughts Connecticut leader Cathy Ludlum’s letter was published in the Hartford Courant on Sunday, May 2nd. This letter is part of discussions following the death of the state’s assisted suicide bill in the General Assembly Judiciary Committee. Crossing line on ‘aid-in-dying’ bill There is nothing wrong with vigorous debate. People have strong opinions, and […]
Assisted suicide is not the answer as long as racial disparities in care, disability bias go on Updated August 31, 2020, 7:15 a.m. Michael Martignetti wants a state program to assist his suicide if he is suffering from the effects of his disability (“Mass. should enact End Of Life Options Act,” Opinion, Aug. 13). I […]
The Greenfield Recorder published John Kelly’s letter opposing the Massachusetts assisted suicide bill on August 12. This excellent letter speaks for itself. Older, ill and disabled people deserve choice-promoting services, supports By JOHN B. KELLY I disagree with Joan Milnes’s call for passage of the assisted suicide bill now in the legislature (“Making a final choice […]
