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 […]
Liz Carr’s documentary, “Better Off Dead?”, continues making a difference, serving as a wake up call about the dangers assisted suicide laws pose for people with disabilities. A Boston Globe columnist noted this week: The most chilling detail in “Better Off Dead?” a new BBC documentary by the English actress and comedian Liz Carr, is […]
Second Thoughts Massachusetts led a peaceful counter demonstration at a gathering of assisted suicide proponents held at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, June 5th. In addition to those featured in the photo above, others who participated included Ian McIntosh and Jessica Rodgers of the Patients Rights Action Fund, Harry Weissman, Director of Advocacy for […]
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 […]
Disability Rights Advocates Cheer High Court Constitutional Ruling Against Assisted Suicide CONTACTS: John Kelly at mailto:SecondThoughtsKelly@Gmail.com 617-952-3302 Jules Good (mailto:JGood@NotDeadYet.org) Boston, MA – Tuesday, December 20, 2022 Disability rights advocates from Second Thoughts MA and Not Dead Yet are cheering Monday’s decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), which ruled against plaintiff doctors Roger Kligler and […]
Following the precedent in the U. S. Supreme Court and several state high courts, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in the Kligler case, rejecting the plaintiffs’ claim that assisted suicide is a constitutional right. “Although we recognize the paramount importance and profound significance of all end-of-life decisions, after careful consideration, we conclude that the […]
***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Disability Rights Advocates Gather at SJC to Defend Disabled Lives Boston, MA – Thursday, October 13 at 12 PM, Second Thoughts MA: Disability Rights Advocates Against Assisted Suicide and Not Dead Yet will gather outside the Supreme Judicial Court at the John Adams Courthouse to remind the SJC and the public that the issue of […]
For Immediate Release: June 2, 2020 Contact: John B. Kelly 617-952-3302, SecondThoughtsKelly@Gmail.com, @2ndThoughtsMA Bill Legalizing Assisted Suicide Remains Dangerous, Targets the Vulnerable Second Thoughts Massachusetts issues the following statement in opposition to the favorable report given by the state […]
I just came across a brilliant letter that John Kelly sent to the Washington, D.C. Council when they were considering an assisted suicide bill in 2016. I should have posted it here then, but I am doing so now (lightly edited), because it’s one of the best discussions I’ve read of the core problem that […]
Tuesday, June 25 begins a busy week for disability advocates opposed to legalization of assisted suicide. The Massachusetts “End of Life Options Act” H.1926/S.1208 will be heard before the Joint Committee On Public Health. John Kelly, NDY’s New England Regional Director, and Anita Cameron, Director of Minority Outreach, are among several disability leaders planning to testify. Details of […]
