Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Petition: I oppose US federal funding for assisted suicide

Sign and share our petition opposing The Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act (HB 8137) (petition link)

Our petition states:
Dear Representative Jeffries and Representative Scalise,
I oppose The Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act (HB 8137) that would force Americans to pay for assisted suicide (medically approved killing by poison) with their tax dollars.

I oppose assisted suicide and I vehemently oppose paying for medically approved killing.

Thank you in advance for upholding my conscience rights by not approving the use of tax dollars for killing.

Sign and share our petition opposing The Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act (petition link) 

US federal law currently prohibits the use of appropriated funds for assisted suicide.

The assisted suicide lobby announced in their fundraising email on April 29, 2024 that they are spearheading a bill to force American to pay for assisted suicide (Medically approved killing by poison) with federal tax dollars. The fundraising letter states:
The Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act would end a ban on federal funding to help terminally ill people pay for medical aid in dying where it is currently authorized or will be authorized in the future.
The Patient Access to End-of-Life Act is sponsored by Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and Scott Peters (D-CA) and would essentially replace the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997 which prohibited the use of appropriated funds for: 

  1. causing or assisting in suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing;
  2. compelling any person or entity to provide or fund any item, benefit, program, or service for such purpose; or 
  3. asserting or advocating a legal right to cause or assist such actions.

The act is titled: The Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act because the assisted suicide lobby intends to promote the funding of medically approved killing in conjunction with other end-of-life care, such as palliative care.

Based on the current political configuration, it is unlikely that this bill will pass, but it indicates the direction of the assisted suicide lobby and it makes the issue of medically assisted killing, which has essentially been a state by state issue, into a federal issue.

Oppose the Patient Access to End-of-Life Care Act. Don't let your tax dollars be used to kill people.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a load of complete rhetoric. I should be able to use my own medicare investment for the end of life care I want. I’ve contributed to Medicare for the whole of my working life.

Anonymous said...

That’s not the way it works. You don’t get to dictate how “your investment” is used for your care. The law says it’s not for use in assisting suicide, and everyone pays in under that assumption. You can’t change the rules mid-game for this purpose anymore than you can for any other exempted purpose.

Alex Schadenberg said...

Currently federal law prohibits the funding of assisted suicide.

Kimberly Howard said...

Assisted suicide/physician assisted suicide is ethically and morally repugnant. Unconscionable that the U.S. suicide lobby is advocating for medical murder using state and federal tax dollars. We have palliative care plans that should be addressing end of life symptom management. Tragically, millions of patients are being euthanized in our healthcare facilities and in their own homes.

Anonymous said...

WHERE ARE THOSE THAT CONTROL THESE PHYSICIANS?
ARE NURSES COMPLICINT WITH THESE PHYSICIANS?
ANY ATTORNEYS AVAILABLE FOR CONSULT?


sestroc said...

Can Canadians sign American petitions, if they're not paying taxes there?

Anonymous said...

As a Canadian, I don’t understand. Our MAiD is considered a medical procedure that is paid from the healthcare funds that are annually transferred to the provinces. Are the eleven states that allow assisted dying (providing the drugs, no injections) not classifying the process as a medical procedure including in Medicare? How are the costs paid now? Are the people requesting the procedure having to individually pay …. in advance?

Roseanne said...

The greatest human rights atrocities have occured when people have chosen death, as in killing people, over life. To put it into perspective, this is Governments using tax payer funds to actively kill people. Not the accumulative effect of medication given in pain relief that may inadvertantly shorten a life. Not the removal of extrordinary forms of treatement that have become futile, in keeping a person living, when all hope of a recovery has failed. Not the removal of active treatment when cure for the illness is no longer possible. This is the deliberate, intentional killing of a person by another person. Any person, in not having their needs met, whether in physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional, will in desperation, choose death to escape the pain of living.

In working in end of life palliative care, I can honestly say, that when a person is given adeqaute care, they die in a peaceful, dignified, pain free, natural death, that some families have referred to as "beautiful." This is being misrepresented in frightening people into wanting to end their lives, which of course, is more cost effective for funding agencies.Those administering euthanasia also financially benefit.

Aside from all that, it robs people of a life they could be living with their families right up untill they naturally die.Quality of life, which is subjective, is spoken about, in making people think the intrinsic value of human life no longer applies. A person dying is to be cared for in the celebration of their life, not in the administeration of death that lessesns the humanity of all involved. Afterall, it is compassionate care for others that keeps people being human. Throughout history, we can see what happens when people think it is acceptable to kill other human beings, for any reason at all, even in them asking to be killed. If we have learned anything from history, it is that death grows in taking from people the chance to live life in being human. All the medical and healthcare professions were founded to help people to live. Do we really want to go back to pre Hyppocrates days, where they are permitted to kill people? Have we learned nothing?

Eleni Phufas-Jousma said...

Where is the link or ANY LINK to this proposed despicable act? Thank you

Alex Schadenberg said...

Compassion & Choices.

Sarah said...

You might feel differently when you are denied cancer treatment and offered assisted suicide again by Medicare.

Vi said...

Well said Roseanne!