Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Help EPC Stop Assisted Suicide by Telehealth



Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed a new rule for prescribing drugs via telehealth. The rule states that when a person has not seen a medical practitioner and requires a Schedule II medication or narcotic that the prescription cannot be prescribed via telehealth. The patient would be required to see the medical practitioner in person before receiving the prescription.

This is an important rule in the assisted suicide debate. The assisted suicide lobby wants to provide lethal assisted suicide drugs to people via telehealth and then ship those drugs to the person via courier.

A person would then be approved for death by lethal drugs without ever being examined by the medical practitioner and receive the lethal drugs by courier.

Last year Vermont passed assisted suicide expansion bill SB 74 that permits assisted suicide by telehealth. The DEA proposed policy would prevent doctors in Vermont from approving assisted suicide by telehealth. This is important now that Vermont has become a suicide tourist state by eliminating their residency requirement.

To prevent assisted suicide by telehealth, submit a formal comment supporting the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) proposed rule change which will prevent Schedule II controlled substances from being prescribed via telehealth. 

(Link to submit a formal comment supporting the DEA proposed rule).

Use a similar comment as I have written below:

I support the DEA's proposed rule change preventing doctors from prescribing schedule II controlled substances via telehealth. 

This proposed rule change has a protective effect on every American.

Considering the problem with the abuse of opioids and the growing problem with addiction, the DEA is right to make this change. 

Americans need to be assured that controlled substances are not being inappropriately prescribed.

Washington state's assisted suicide expansion bill HB 1281, if passed, will permit assisted suicide drugs to be sent by mail or courier.  There is nothing in the Washington state law that excludes approving assisted suicide by telehealth. Approval by telehealth and shipping the lethal drugs by courier will make assisted suicide doctors lethal drug prescribing vending machines.

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6 comments:

Unknown said...

PRIMUM NO NOCERE - life endangerment is prohibited by the hippocratic oath, period!

Alex Schadenberg said...

Yes, but the Hippocratic Oath has changed and is not the same Oath.

Vicki said...

Perhaps someone might dare to change the Hippocratic Oath, but there is no changing God's Law: You shall not kill. We are called to love, comfort, compassion, encouragement, care, but not killing. End of story.

Tershia said...

In a world without God, life has no value.

Margaret Cushman said...

Could you elaborate on the hippocratic oath, on what has changed and who changed it?

Alex Schadenberg said...

There isn't much to say. The medical schools and the medical community changed the original oath a long long time ago. They have also redefined the meaning of do no harm.

I really don't know what to say other than the people who opposed the actual Hippocratic oath took over and changed everything.