New Mexico assisted suicide bill may extend assisted suicide to all 50 states.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

New Mexico House Bill 90 was introduced by Deborah Armstrong (Dem) to legalize assisted suicide. The bill is referred to as The Elizabeth Whitefield End of Life Options Act.

On December 21 I published the article New Mexico Assisted Suicide Bill is the most dangerous bill ever (Link) where I explained how Bill HB 90 expands the scope of assisted suicide in the USA.

Since HB 90 allows assisted suicide to be approved via telemedicine, if legalized, Bill HB 90 may allow suicide tourism. 

Assisted suicide is always dangerous and should never be legal because it enables one person to be involved with causing the death of another person with lethal drugs.

Let's not be innocent, legalizing assisted suicide leads to the further degradation of people with disabilities and other  people who are medically vulnerable while creating new paths for elder abuse and the perfect legal defense for deaths not considered by the assisted suicide debate.

There are many other concerns with Bill HB 90 such as the bill: 

• does not require the person to "self administer" thus it allows euthanasia (homicide),
• allows nurses and physician assistants to participate in assisted suicide, 
• does not require a second assessor, 
• allows people with mental health disorders to die by assisted suicide, 
• requires health care providers to falsify the death certificate. 
• provides legal protection for anyone who participate in the act, 
• negates conscience rights by forcing Healthcare professionals to refer for assisted suicide,
• uses the undefined term "foreseeable future" for terminal illness, 
• while all of this is only held together by "good faith" compliance.

HB 90 is so wide that a hearse can drive through it.

Michelle Lujan Grisham (Dem), the newly elected Governor of New Mexico stated during the election that she supports assisted suicide.

New Mexico has been debating assisted suicide for many years. During the previous legislative session the New Mexico Senate defeated the assisted suicide bill by a vote of 22 to 20.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has organized the Stopping Assisted Suicide in Your State Conference in Albuquerque New Mexico with a campaign training session on Friday, January 25 and the Conference on Saturday January 26. (Information link).