Press Release issued the morning of August 8, 2016!
Disability Activists from Not Dead Yet and ADAPT Engage in Funeral March
to Protest Assisted Suicide Ballot Measure
Denver – Disability rights activists from ADAPT and Not Dead Yet will hold a funeral march from the Atlantis Community (201 S Cherokee St, Denver, CO 80223) to the Secretary of State Office (1700 Broadway #200, Denver, CO 80290) on Monday, August 8, 2016 to protest the assisted suicide measure being considered for the Colorado ballot. The group plans to step off from the Atlantis Community at 10:15 a.m. and march north to the Secretary of State’s office where they will have a wreath laying ceremony shortly after the noon hour.
“We are engaging in this street theater to educate the community about how legalization of assisted suicide will cause people to needlessly lose their lives through mistakes, coercion and abuse,” said Dawn Russell, ADAPT advocate and Atlantis Community board member.
“Elder abuse, and abuse of people with disabilities, are a rising problem,” said Anita Cameron, an ADAPT advocate, and Not Dead Yet board member. “With legalized physician-assisted suicide, an heir or abusive caregiver may steer someone towards assisted suicide, witness the request, pick up the lethal dose, and even give the drug — no witnesses are required at the death, so who would know?” she said.
“Colorado’s suicide rate is among the highest in the nation,” said Cameron. “This bill will promote suicide to one class of disabled citizens, rather than provide suicide prevention. That is discrimination.”
These bills simply do not have any effective safeguards to prevent abuse,” said Robin Stephens, a longtime disability rights activist and Not Dead Yet board member. “Death certificates are required to be falsified, no witness is required at the death, and a greedy heir can witness the request for a lethal prescription. Colorado does not need this initiative.”
ADAPT is a grassroots disability rights organization with chapters in 30 states. It uses nonviolent direct action in order to bring attention and awareness to the lack of civil rights the disability community experiences.
Not Dead Yet is a national, grassroots disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia as deadly forms of discrimination against old, ill and disabled people. Not Dead Yet helps organize and articulate opposition to these practices based on secular social justice arguments. Not Dead Yet demands the equal protection of the law for the targets of so called “mercy killing” whose lives are seen as worth-less.
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2 comments:
“This bill will promote suicide to one class of disabled citizens, rather than provide suicide prevention. That is discrimination.”
Perhaps Cameron should have been informed, before sounding off, that this is not a bill, which would go before the legislature, but a ballot measure. I can't tell you how much credibility she gains by not being able to keep basic information like that straight. Also, the ballot measure doesn't address people with physical disabilities, but those with terminal illnesses who have a prognosis of six months or less to live. Some terminal illnesses can be physically disabling, but that depends on the nature of the illness. It's not a given that the bill is "promoting suicide to one class of disabled citizens".
Aside from this, even if her claim were true, the logic is "Help! We're being discriminated against by being given too many legal options, rather than having legal options removed from us!" How is that a rational argument? If anything, those who are not terminally ill but still want to end their lives could argue that they're being discriminated against, because the law doesn't address their needs. Arguing that it's 'discrimination' not to have your ultimate fate left up to the omnipotent Nanny State, but put in your own hands, is one reason why nobody takes organizations like these seriously.
I take this organization seriously. When a bill like this passes the terminally ill are at risk of being guided,pushed and or guilted down a path of suicide even if that isn't what they really want for themselves. Many people life well beyond the 6 months left to live diagnosis. What does happen after a bill like this passes is the healthy care companies follow up with policies denying payment for palliative care drugs that reduce pain and expensive cancer treatments, while allowing payment for suicide drugs. (Look at Canada.) In addition, once this type of law passes it's only a matter of time until additional laws are passed that legalize assisted suicide for the disabilities including babies and those not capable of making those decision for themselves possible leaving that decision to care takers or heirs that have may not have the disabled persons best interest at heart. (Look at the Netherlands.) Where once again the health care companies will follow up with denial of health care procedures or palliative care that is needed. Heath care companies are only interested in profit, cutting costs and getting terminal and long term care patients off their rolls. In my opinion the cons of legalized suicide outweighs the pros.
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