Dear Neighbors,
Like many in our community, I’m a staunch supporter of life. It seems obvious to me, at least, that life begins at conception and ends at a natural death. Unfortunately, some lawmakers want to take control of this process with a bill that would allow for patients near the end of their life to choose medication to speed up the process; effectively creating an “assisted suicide” scenario. I’m vehemently opposed to “playing God” with something so precious as life.
The bill SF1880, and its House companion, HF2095, were introduced last session and the Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Committee will hear it this afternoon. I have grave concerns with this legislation and will work to prevent its advance through the legislative process.
For example, the bill attempts to create safeguards to ensure two doctors evaluate the patient prior to prescribing the medication. If a person is suffering from a psychiatric or psychological condition, one of the doctors must identify the issue and refer the patient to counseling. There’s no question our doctors are extremely intelligent and well-qualified, but that doesn’t mean they should base a person’s life on if they can correctly identify a mental illness.
There’s numerous other issues with this legislation. Simply, it opens the door to increased malpractice and mistreatment in end-of-life situations. I understand the desire for families to see their loved ones pass away without suffering, but we can’t put these life-and-death decisions in anyone’s hands but God’s.
If you have a strong opinion on this topic, please contact me; I’d love to hear from you. These issues aren’t always easy to talk about, but some of us in St. Paul continue to stand up and protect life.
Thank you so much,
Jim