and at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/08/18/us/ap-us-xgr-right-to-die-california.html
The people behind the bill said that they didn't care what the Governor thinks about it. They were still going to do it. Unfortunately, it now appears as if the Assisted Suicide Bill has been tied to health care financing. This looks as if it could end up meaning that prescribing suicide pills could or would be elevated to a treatment option. Oh Joy - not!!!! How far can California sink? - no pun intended.
This is basically the same bill as SB 128 was or maybe it still exists and they intend on reintroducing that also if ABX2-15 fails. Here is a link to the legislature which has published the bill. See for yourself: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520162AB15
One thing very important about this new bill is that it is still about secrecy and that means, if passed, wrongdoing will never be accounted for. It is a bill introduced with very little publicity, with no information available as to when it will be heard, nothing. In general, when you have to be sneaky about things, something is very wrong. It is a sneaky bill with people sneaking it into a hearing and no information as to when it will be discussed or voted upon is yet apparent to the public. The public does have the right to know and not at the last minute. In this case a lot of people are being denied that right.
The following is old information:
The state of California has before it's legislature a bill which will grant across the board immunity for all people involved in assisting a patient death. It is titled SB 128 and may be read here:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB128
We all have personal and different opinions on this topic. One thing that all of us have in common is that there should be no secrecy in government. This bill is all about secrecy.
Why is there secrecy in this proposed law?
If something is being made legal then why are all the details cloaked in secrecy????? Shouldn't the details be made available to those that need to see them or are they trying to hide something? Crime statistics are available. Why aren't the details of soon to be "legal" activities available?
This secrecy is not for the benefit of the patient. It is for the protection of all involved in the death, whether someone really wanted to die or someone was coerced into believing they should die, or if someone took it upon themselves to make sure the patient died. No one except those involved will ever know the truth if this bill becomes law.
There are two major flaws in this bill as it is currently written:
1. As this bill is currently written, the death certificate must be falsified if a person has had a physician provide the medication to them which will end their life. The proposed text states that the cause of death listed on the death certificate of an individual who uses aid-in-dying medication shall be the underlying terminal disease. Not that a medication was used to kill a person.
SOURCE: SEC 443.7 item b as modified.
Most physicians won't be looking at it that way. They won't be looking at it at all when they write up the death certificate. They will just be following a list of things they are supposed to do. They won't be thinking about what they are doing. To them it will just be a process they have to work with. They probably won't have any idea if there was something criminal that took place or not.
2. The text of Sec 2 severely restricts review or makes impossible access to medical records after a person has voluntarily taken their life. This text seriously needs to be modified.
SOURCE: Section 2, a,b
As shown in other states where the text of this bill has been enacted,
statistical data used is destroyed or separated from the report before
the report is presented to the public. There is no way to
prove or disprove its content or accuracy. To be clear the
data still exists, but does not carry with the report and no person can
verify the accuracy of the report without reassembling it.
SOURCE: Section 2, c
This means that if there is reasonable suspicion that wrong doing of some sort has taken place, even the police will have no access to the medical records.
No one will be able to prove or disprove anything if questions or suspicions arise. There will no way to access the records. This also means that no one can sue.
When the audits are conducted to show how successful this law has become there will be no way to dispute the information and it is very unlikely that anyone will authorize it to be reconstructed to have a copy of the data. The first excuse would be that it just costs too much to do.
This is not a proposed law to only protect doctors helping patients, this is a law that also protects criminals, family members that want to get their inheritance soon, or want to settle a grudge, or even business associates that stand to gain by an individuals so called suicide. It protects everyone involved because no one will be able to prove anything, ever.
This bill must be rewritten. A lot of money is being spent by organizations to pass this bill. Citizens have a very hard time matching funds such as those already involved. But citizens do have the right to tell their legislators that this is not acceptable and to demand that this dangerous bill be rewritten or simply not be allowed to pass.
Margaret Dore, a Probate attorney who is very well versed in this proposed law and has worked hard for the betterment of the patient has provided some information on this topic:
Prepared by Margaret Dore, Esq.
For a print version, click here
1. Letter from Kate Kelly to the Senate Judiciary Committee, A Response to David “Doc” Moore, March 24, 2013 (“If these terrible deaths happen when aid in dying (assisted suicide and euthanasia) is not legal, what will happen if these practices are made legal? Doctors will have even more power to take away patient choice”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/a-response-to-representative-moore.html
2. Letter from Mike Moe to the Senate Judiciary Committee, March 23, 2013 (“Please vote for HB 505 to prevent doctors and nurses from having more power to cause patient deaths. They abuse the power they already have. Please consider my mother’s story . . .”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/vote-for-hb-505-to-stop-bad-situation.html
3. Letter from Carol Mungas to the Great Falls Tribune, March 14, 2013 (“As illustrated by my husband’s case, doctors and nurses already abuse the power they have. The stakes are too high to consider expanding their power by legalizing assisted-suicide”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/i-support-house-bill-505-which-clearly.html
4. Letter from Gail Bell to the Ravalli Republic, March 5, 2013 (“Because of my mother’s experiences, I no longer believe in “physician-assisted suicide. Support House Bill 505"). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/because-of-my-mothers-experiences-i-no_8.html
Please visit Californians Against Assisted Suicide
http://www.californiaagainstassistedsuicide.org/
This means that if there is reasonable suspicion that wrong doing of some sort has taken place, even the police will have no access to the medical records.
No one will be able to prove or disprove anything if questions or suspicions arise. There will no way to access the records. This also means that no one can sue.
When the audits are conducted to show how successful this law has become there will be no way to dispute the information and it is very unlikely that anyone will authorize it to be reconstructed to have a copy of the data. The first excuse would be that it just costs too much to do.
This is not a proposed law to only protect doctors helping patients, this is a law that also protects criminals, family members that want to get their inheritance soon, or want to settle a grudge, or even business associates that stand to gain by an individuals so called suicide. It protects everyone involved because no one will be able to prove anything, ever.
This bill must be rewritten. A lot of money is being spent by organizations to pass this bill. Citizens have a very hard time matching funds such as those already involved. But citizens do have the right to tell their legislators that this is not acceptable and to demand that this dangerous bill be rewritten or simply not be allowed to pass.
Margaret Dore, a Probate attorney who is very well versed in this proposed law and has worked hard for the betterment of the patient has provided some information on this topic:
Prepared by Margaret Dore, Esq.
For a print version, click here
1. Letter from Kate Kelly to the Senate Judiciary Committee, A Response to David “Doc” Moore, March 24, 2013 (“If these terrible deaths happen when aid in dying (assisted suicide and euthanasia) is not legal, what will happen if these practices are made legal? Doctors will have even more power to take away patient choice”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/a-response-to-representative-moore.html
2. Letter from Mike Moe to the Senate Judiciary Committee, March 23, 2013 (“Please vote for HB 505 to prevent doctors and nurses from having more power to cause patient deaths. They abuse the power they already have. Please consider my mother’s story . . .”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/vote-for-hb-505-to-stop-bad-situation.html
3. Letter from Carol Mungas to the Great Falls Tribune, March 14, 2013 (“As illustrated by my husband’s case, doctors and nurses already abuse the power they have. The stakes are too high to consider expanding their power by legalizing assisted-suicide”). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/i-support-house-bill-505-which-clearly.html
4. Letter from Gail Bell to the Ravalli Republic, March 5, 2013 (“Because of my mother’s experiences, I no longer believe in “physician-assisted suicide. Support House Bill 505"). Letter available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/2013/03/because-of-my-mothers-experiences-i-no_8.html
Please visit Californians Against Assisted Suicide
http://www.californiaagainstassistedsuicide.org/