Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Attorney Sara Buscher Opposes SB 311

RE:  SB 311

Please do not vote for  this bill to be reported out of committee. Do everything you can to oppose passage.

Under the bill, safeguards end when the lethal dose is in the home. With no required witness, if the person struggled, who would know?

Slayers can inherit because 5-6A-11 (D)(2) says a death with such a lethal dose is not homicide.


Elder abuse affects 1 in 10 elders and triples their risk of death. https://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/elder-abusefacts/

Sadly, the bill in your committee says aid-in-dying is not "neglect", a term for elder abuse, at 5-6A-13(B)(1), thereby precluding investigations into elder abuse.

This is bad public policy. Don't vote for it or report it out of your committee. Stop this bill dead!

Sara Buscher
Attorney & Advocate for the Elderly and Disabled