[Hac-announce] Fwd: Legislative Call to Action - Medical Aid in Dying

[Richard Siddall]

We have had several presentations on Medical Aid in Dying at HAC.  If 
you'd like to support making this end of life choice available to 
Connecticut residents, please take action as described in the action 
alert below.

	Richard Siddall

-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Legislative Call to Action - Medical Aid in Dying
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2018 18:20:27 -0400
From: Secular Coalition for Connecticut <connecticut at secular.org>
To: Secular Coalition for Connecticut <connecticut at secular.org>

Greetings,

The Secular Coalition for Connecticut is requesting your help to support
the "Medical Aid in Dying" legislation currently introduced into the
Connecticut General Assembly.  The bill number is *HB 5417* and its new
name is "*An Act Concerning End-of-Life Care
<https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05417&which_year=2018>*
."

We are specifically requesting that you either submit written testimony in
favor of this bill - or - attend the hearing in person and deliver oral
testimony in favor of this bill.


*Written testimony can be submitted via email to phtestimony at cga.ct.gov
<phtestimony at cga.ct.gov> now.  *


    - *Examples of testimony from 2015 can be found here
 
<https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CommDocTmyBillAllComm.asp?bill=HB-07015&doc_year=2015>.
    Testimony can be as short as a few sentences or as long and 
impassioned as
    you feel compelled to write.  Visit Compassion & Choices
 
<https://www.compassionandchoices.org/understanding-medical-aid-in-dying/>
    if you would like more information to help you with your written or oral
    testimony. *
    - *Please also consider submitting your written testimony as letters to
    the editor of your local newspaper.*


*Oral testimony can be given on March 20th at the Capitol building in
Hartford <https://wp.cga.ct.gov/CapitolTours/directions/> - (room# time)*


Our resident expert and legislative lead, Stan Greenberg, is available as
someone who can (in many cases) provide material about – or explanations of
-- different aspects of this issue, especially the flaws in opponents’
arguments.

*For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Aid in Dying - *

Aid in Dying gives terminally ill patients (and no one else) the option to
end their own lives on their own terms.  Are you aware that Aid in Dying is
legal in 5 states and the District of Columbia? From the time that it was
first legalized in Oregon in 1997 there have been zero reports of abuse
while at the same time hundreds of people (mostly cancer patients that have
exhausted all other options) have been able to peacefully end their own
lives with dignity and autonomy rather than suffering or resorting to
firearms.  Most of the opposition is from religious or the disabled lobby.
The disabled argument is based on misinformation and fear.  Our bill has
many more safeguards in it for the potentially vulnerable as we have
learned from the states that have legalized it. The religious argument is
simply based on their own specific beliefs to which not all citizens and
voters subscribe.  In fact 61% of Connecticut voters are in favor of Aid in
Dying legislation according to a recent Quinnipiac poll
<https://poll.qu.edu/connecticut/release-detail?ReleaseID=2016>.  Aid in
Dying legislation is analogous to marriage equality:  If you are opposed to
marriage equality, don’t marry someone of the same sex.  If you are opposed
to Aid in Dying, simply do not use it.  But by contrast, those who
desperately desire the dignity and autonomy of Aid in Dying as they suffer
at the end of their lives don’t have an option right now.


*The opposition - *

Connecticut's bigoted extreme religious right organization (the Family
Institute of Connecticut) is mobilizing against this bill again this year.
They are once again spreading falsehoods and outright lies to their
gullible followers in a recent email to get them to submit testimony in
opposition to this bill.  So we need as many of you as possible to send in
at least written testimony.


*Thank you for your support!*

Regards,
Patrick McCann
Chair - Secular Coalition for Connecticut <http://ct.secular.org/>