Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
The assisted suicide lobby stated in their recent article that:
Corinne Carey, Compassion & Choices’ Senior Campaign Director for NY/NJ, and terminally ill Bronx resident Jules Netherland, issued the following statements in conjunction with their arrest Tuesday for civil disobedience and the arrest of nine other advocates in support of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act.Corinne Carey stated:
"As campaign director for the last decade and a lawyer who prides herself on not getting arrested – other than that one time in the U.S. Senate gallery protesting so-called welfare reforms in 1996 – this is the last thing I wanted to do. But the lack of movement on the bill so far has sadly left us no other choice."
We know that the New York assisted suicide lobby was in trouble last December, when Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who is the sponsor of Assembly Bill A0995 stated on a video (starting at 18:40) that 'they need to get the assisted suicide bill passed first and then amend it later.'
I will not comment on the historical success of civil disobedience, but I will suggest that the civil disobedience is related to the desperation of the assisted suicide lobby in New York and several other states.
The assisted suicide lobby has failed to legalize assisted suicide in new states in the past two years and this year they have currently failed to legalize assisted suicide in any new state.
The most recent success in stoping assisted suicide was in New Hampshire where assisted suicide Bill HB 1283 passed in the House by a vote of 179 to 176 but failed in the Senate when a 17 - 7 vote referred the bill to further study.
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has focused on defeating the New York assisted suicide bill assisted suicide Bill.
In February we contacted New York State representatives and sent them this letter that clearly explains why they need to reject assisted suicide (Link). We also contacted our New York supporters urging them to contact their elected State representatives with the following message (Link).
Recently we contacted New York State representatives again with a similar message that proved to be very successful in New Hampshire, titled: A Libertarian call to defeat New York Bill A995 and S2445 (Link).
We must remain vigilant. The fact that the assisted suicide lobby is becoming desperate, may lead to the assisted suicide lobby becoming even more active.
We hope that the desperation of the assisted suicide lobby back-fires on them.
The disability rights movement are the people who are justified in engaging in civil disobedience, given that the proponents want some of us to die and all.
ReplyDeleteAs you notice, I don't know if civil disobedience will help or hurt the assisted suicide lobby. I hope it back-fires on them, but I agree that people with disabilities protest to actually protect their lives.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the role of our coalition, faced with different forms of disruptive protest, should be to "sympathize" and "understand" as appropriate. But no more.
ReplyDeleteWe are not, to be clear, a disabled rights organization (whether progressive or otherwise), nor are we automatically beholden to any particular vision or agenda from that quarter.
We do, however, hold that the disabled are fully human; that the lives and deaths of ill and/or disabled individuals are no less important than those of anybody else (including --and in particular-- those who are seriously enough ill or disabled to be incapable of defending their own interests); and in consequence: that any "special" right-to-die for this group must be vigorously opposed.
Thank you Gordon.
ReplyDelete