HARTFORD, Connecticut (LifeSiteNews) – For the tenth time, a bill to legalize assisted suicide has been defeated in Connecticut.
Great news: Connecticut defeats assisted suicide bill.
MAiD for mental illness. Killing without a certain prognosis. https://t.co/6YBpgQNNCH pic.twitter.com/8k0RyOuDhV— EPC International (@EuthanasiaPC) April 12, 2022
Bill SB 88 was defeated on April 12 after it had passed in the Connecticut Public Health Committee in March.
One of the strongest opponents of the bill was Cathy Ludlum, who is one of the leaders of Second Thoughts Connecticut, a group dedicated to protecting the rights of disabled people in light of the push for assisted suicide.
According the Second Thoughts, the most recent attempt to legalize medical suicide in the state centered on a change to language regarding the issue.
Stephen Mendolsohn of Second Thoughts stated in his testimony: “No change in language can change the deadly mix between assisted suicide and a broken health care and home care system. As the cheapest ‘treatment,’ assisted suicide diminishes choice, and especially so for people of color, disabled people, and others who have been historically marginalized in our health care system.”
Mendolsohn took issue with the fact that “terminally ill” and “mentally competent” were ill-defined and could open up cases of coercion or abuse that would push those who could not think clearly to accepting suicide – effectively legalizing a form of euthanasia.
He added: “Shockingly, even people with treatable anorexia who refuse nutrition have been deemed to be both ‘terminally ill’ and ‘mentally competent’ and thus eligible for assisted suicide.”
“The definition of ‘competent’ allows evaluations by social workers for capacity evaluations, and still allows someone else to speak for a patient with a communication disability.”
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition testified in opposition to the bill, highlighting four significant concerns:
- The bill allows assisted suicide with elastic and meaningless “safeguards.”
- Assisted suicide is not about pain or receiving a peaceful death; both are myths.
- Assisted suicide spawns more suicides and attempted suicides.
- Insurance companies use assisted suicide to deny coverage for curative life-saving treatments, offering to pay for assisted suicide instead. This raises equity concerns.
For now, the state will have no assisted suicide, although it is likely that proponents of the practice will try again to legalize it next year.