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VAEH Newsletter #28January 6, 2005 Dear Folks, It’s that time of year again --- time for winter sports and for dealing with the new legislature. The Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) supporters have promised a strong crusade and are well underway. We continue to be in contact with our counterparts in Oregon, Hawaii and California. Those who oppose PAS in Hawaii are worried that the legislative make-up there may be conducive to passage of this fearsome legislation this year. If a second state steps in line with Oregon, others will likely follow. We must do our utmost to prevent this from happening in Vermont. The Hemlock Society has had another change/merger. This most recent announcement is that End-of-Life Choices (formerly Death With Dignity) has merged with Compassion in Dying to form Compassion & Choice. It’s hard to keep track of the players --- but they are the same folks with the same mission. Several of us from VAEH have been active on the Attorney General’s Task Force on End-of-Life Decision-Making whose report will be released on January 31. The current proposal, if enacted, will make some significant improvements in the care of Vermonters at the end of life, and I don’t think it offers any openings to the PAS folks, but we must be vigilant as it moves through committees to avoid troubling changes or amendments. VAEH represents a strong coalition of individuals and groups from diverse perspectives, including medicine, nursing, disability advocacy, suicide prevention, right-to-life, and religious leaders. We have together contracted with Guy Page to serve as our Advocacy Director for a few weeks --- as long as the funds last. Some of you may have seen the Free Press article on page 1, top right, on Wednesday, Jan 6 about the poll of Vermonters commissioned by DWD/EOLC/C&C. The opening question was the most egregiously biased polling question I have ever heard of, designed no doubt to polarize the respondants, drawing those who hadn’t given the issue a lot of thought into a pro-PAS slant. I have sent in an op-ed piece about the methodology and (non)validity of the results. Mike Quaid has asked me as president of VAEH to appear on his “Ideas Have Consequences” call-in local access TV program on Friday, 1/14 at 5:25 PM. It would be great if some of you could call in with some probing questions. It's time to speak out about physician-assisted suicide - here's how you can do it: The people behind physician-assisted suicide are executing an orchestrated campaign to influence the Vermont legislature. They have retained an experienced Montpelier lobbying firm. A bill is expected to be introduced soon into the Vermont House. Your legislators already are hearing from the other side - now they are waiting to hear from you. The time to speak out against physician-assisted suicide is now. I strongly encourage you to do one or two (or all three) of the following: 1) Write a letter to the editor explaining why you don't want physician-assisted suicide to be legalized. Be brief and courteous. Make sure that you include your name and phone number in the email. If you need more info, you can go to www.vaeh.org. Important points could include the fact that PAS is not needed (medical science can now adequately control pain); society instead should focus on improving end-of-life care (by providing adequate housing, hospice, healthcare, etc); PAS is dangerous for society (abuses and expansions of so-called “safeguards”); and that studies show that the level of pain management has actually decreased in Oregon since their PAS law went into effect. It is probably best to avoid moralizing. Send letters with your name, hometown and phone number to letters@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com; letters@timesargus.com; and letters@rutlandherald.com, and letters@sevendays.com. If you can't find an email address for your local newspaper or need other help, contact VAEH Advocacy Director Guy Page at newsclips@msn.com and he will provide it for you. 2) Contact your member of the Vermont House of Representatives, either by phone, email or U.S. mail. One or two sentences is all you need, for example: "Please don't sponsor or support the physician assisted suicide bill", with your name, phone number and hometown. Below is the contact information for every member of the Vermont House of Representatives (sorry it makes this newsletter very long, but I thought it would be easier to do it here rather than direct you to a website). 3) Some of you are reluctant to write letters or call legislators. Instead, you can send donations to help the Alliance with on-going expenses (mailings, advocacy support, possible newspaper ads). Many of you were generous last year, a few have already given this year. Solicitation is not my cup of tea, but I encourage those of you who are able to help out. In fact, if any of you would like to volunteer to be a fund-raiser for VAEH, please drop me a note or give me a call at home. Thanks for your support and your help. Bob Orr, president, VAEH |
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