Posted on 03/29/2007 12:29:18 AM PDT by Princip. Conservative
A proposal to legalize physician-assisted suicide in California passed a 10-member Assembly Judiciary Committee March 27, bringing the measure one step closer to a legislative vote.
The proposed legislation, AB 374, passed the Democrat-controlled committee in a 7-3 vote--Republicans cast the three dissenting votes while the seven Democrat members uniformly supported the measure.
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The measure is virtually identical to the assisted-suicide bill that failed last year in the 2005-2006 legislative session, according to the California Catholic Conference, which has been an active participant in fighting against the legalization of assisted suicide. The proposed bill would make it legal for a doctor to prescribe lethal drugs to a person diagnosed with a terminal disease and given six months or less to live.
The authors of the bill recruited the Speaker of the Assembly, Fabian Nunez, as a co-author for the current attempt to pass the legislation. The authors stated that “this time it would pass” during a press conference, and defended the measure as “aid in dying” and “compassionate choice,” avoiding the more explicit and politically counter-productive term “suicide”.
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“Doctors must be healers, not killers,” said CCF president Randy Thomasson. “Depressed patients need love, family, spiritual counsel, and proven pain medication, not handed what amounts to a gun to the head. AB 374 must not become law. Because HMOs (Health Maintenance Organization--restricted health insurance) are the controlling force for so many physicians, it's inevitable that hospitals and hospices would soon view patients as more expensive alive than dead.”
A powerful coalition of opponents to assisted suicide is committed to preventing the passage of the bill. Californians Against Assisted Suicide (CAAS) includes medical and hospice personnel, advocates for low-income workers, a Latino civil rights group, disability rights organizations and Catholic and pro-life groups.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifesite.net ...
Governor Schwarzenegger, thank God, is likely to veto the measure. A while back, he made it clear that since California voters already voted against this measure, the CA Legislature should not legalize it. But it wouldn't hurt to e-mail the Governorator a letter to let him know you want him to follow through on his word:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov
We just (a week ago) finally defeated a similar bill here in VT. Our wonderful bishop, Salvatore Matano was front and center opposing this and he did a wonderful job.
We'll pray for you folks in CA while you fight this.
The morally inverse are at it again. They are insistent. If you keep at it, keep at it, you might sneak it through.
Physician Assisted Suicide.
Right.
Unlike many who read and post here I have no problem with this concept as long as the following, minor, provision is added to this abomination:
“This law will be held in abeyance until every person who supported it passage has complied with its provisions. Failure for this provision to be fulfilled by its authors will render this law null and void.”
In short, if it is good enough for the unwashed, ill-informed, ignorant masses it is good enough for our elite liberal leadership - let them lead us. You first……
Perhaps a positive effect of such a bill would be to reduce the number of Democrat voters in Nancy Pelosi's district.
Governor Schwarzenegger will no doubt signal he is willing to compromise and accept this because he is governator of all the peoples of Kaliforneeeia and this is clearly what the people want...
he's as spineless as Bush...
I bet Anna Nicole's doc is thrilled about this...
Nailed it. I highly doubt the majority of these deathmongers wixh it upon themselves.
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