Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Bill Dead for the Year

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by Sapna Bansil, Capital News Service  

Lawmakers have tabled a fiercely debated bill that would have granted terminally ill Maryland residents the right to end their lives, a setback to supporters who hoped it would finally pass this year.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, said in a press conference Friday that the measure had not won enough support among the 11 members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to move forward this term. Ferguson indicated he was unwilling to bring the bill for a vote if it was likely to fail.

Medical Aid-in-Dying Bill Short on Votes, Unlikely to Pass Senate Committee

By Danielle J. Brown, February 26, 2024

A controversial bill for medical aid-in-dying [assisted suicide/euthanasia], which would allow qualifying terminally-ill patients to prompt their own death with the help of a physician, will likely be stalled for a least another year, as some senators “continue to wrestle” with the issue, Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) said Monday night. [pictured left] .

The issue has come to Maryland lawmakers before, and some find it hard to decide whether to allow a physician to aid in the intentional death of a terminally-ill patient at the patient’s request.

While both versions of the bill, SB 443 and HB 403, have been discussed in committee hearings this year, neither has come to a vote yet. Smith on Friday essentially gave members of the Judicial Proceedings panel a deadline to make a decision.

Maryland Psychiatrists Oppose Medical-aid-in-dying Bill for Good Reason

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/02/23/psychiatrists-oppose-suicide-bill

Photo from last year: O. J. Brigance, a former Ravens football player who has the neurodegenerative disease ALS, waits to testify against a bill to legalize physician-assisted death last year.

This year, the Legislative Action Committee of the Maryland Psychiatric Society, an organization that represents physician psychiatrists in Maryland (excluding Montgomery and Prince George’s counties), voted to oppose the End-of-Life Option Act (Senate Bill 443/House Bill 403), which has been discussed in the Senate and House this month.

This bill would allow physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill and mentally capable adults who request to die. The practice has alternately been known as “physician-assisted suicide,” “medical aid in dying” or “death with dignity.” However, its essence remains: It involves medical professionals as active agents in the death of patients. The bill, as written, supports a practice that is contrary to the professional philosophy of psychiatrists, our training and the reasons why we choose this occupation.

Anita Cameron’s Powerful Statement At Maryland Press Conference

 By Diane Coleman

On February 8, the Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee held a public hearing on a proposed assisted suicide bill (SB0443). That morning prior to the hearing, the Patients Rights Action Fund organized a press conference of opponents. Anita Cameron represented Not Dead Yet and made the following compelling arguments against the bill:

I'm Anita Cameron, Director of Minority Outreach for Not Dead Yet, a national disability organization opposed to medical discrimination, healthcare rationing, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

SB 0443 will put sick people, seniors and disabled people, especially, at risk due to the view of doctors that disabled people have a lower quality of life, therefore leading them to devalue our lives.

Huge Setback for Proponents

Anne Hanson, MD

On March 16, 2020, the Maryland Legislature adjourned without passing bills seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia (HB 643 and SB 701). Dr. Anne Hanson, states:

We testified on the Senate version, SB 701, on 2/28/20. There was no hearing on the House bill and neither advanced out of committee. Best success we've had since the first go-around in 2015!

Hansen added, this was "a huge setback for proponents considering the bill failed to pass into law by one vote last year."

Thank you to Dr. Hanson and everyone else who made this possible.

Dore Memo Opposing Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

Senate Chamber

"Don't make yourself and the people you care about sitting ducks to heirs and other predators."

To view pdf memo and appendix, click here and here.

I.   INTRODUCTION 

Bills SB 701 and HB 643 seek to legalize “aid in dying,” a euphemism meaning active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.[1] 

The bills employ other euphemisms, and also non sequiturs, which render the bills difficult to understand. As an example, the bills refer to the lethal dose used to kill patients as “medication,” a word normally defined as a “substance used to treat disease or injury.”[2]

The bills are also not limited to dying people, “eligible” persons may have years or decades to live. Voluntary patient action is allowed, but not required. For all these reasons, I urge you to vote “No” on SB 701 and HB 643.

Dr. Hanson's Testimony Opposing Assisted Suicide, Due to: Suicide Contagion; Safeguard Failures; and Implications for the Practice of Psychiatry

Anne Hanson, MD

The Maryland Psychiatric Society opposes HB 643, the End-of-Life Option Act. Since this bill was first introduced in 2015, the Maryland Psychiatric Society has extensively deliberated the legislation within the organization through several listserv discussions, a member survey, and a four hour pro-con debate sponsored jointly with the Maryland somatic physician's organization, Med Chi. In addition to reviewing the legislation each year, we considered information contained in the American Psychiatric Association's resource document on assisted suicide (APA 2017) and other literature as cited in the references below.

The Maryland Psychiatric Society recognizes that this is a divisive issue and that some of our members disagree with the organization's position. Those members have been encouraged to contact their elected officials to contribute their thoughts and we welcome consideration of both sides of this serious policy.

The Maryland Psychiatric Society maintains its opposition to HB 643. There are three general areas of concern.

Assisted Suicide Defeated

Senator Obie Patterson (in blue)

By Pamela Wood, Baltimore Sun

A measure that would have legalized medically assisted suicide in Maryland was defeated Wednesday on a dramatic tie vote in the state Senate.

Sen. Obie Patterson, a Prince George’s County Democrat, was in his seat but did not cast a vote, ultimately spelling the bill’s demise.

“I did not cast a vote simply because I could not bring myself to move right or left on the bill and therefore I didn’t vote at all,” Patterson told reporters later.