874 articles
The Maryland assisted suicide bill (HB 1328/SB 926) appears to lack support in the Senate, with a scheduled hearing canceled and no plans to reschedule it, effectively stalling the bill until after the next election cycle. The bill previously passed the House in 2019 but failed in the Senate by a tie vote, and it is unlikely to be considered again until 2026.
Read →A California senator has just introduced a new bill to expand assisted suicide but has not yet revealed all the details. However, based on her past […] The post URGENT: California Bill Would Expand Assisted Suicide to Dementia Patients appeared first on .
Read →Schadenberg criticizes Nevada AB 346, focusing on practitioner eligibility, waivable waiting periods, and reporting provisions. He objects to treating assistance in suicide as ordinary medical or palliative care.
Read →Schadenberg discusses the Canadian Human Rights Commission's concerns submitted to a United Nations disability-rights review. The article emphasizes reports that people with disabilities may seek assisted death because adequate housing, care, or other supports are unavailable.
Read →Alex Schadenberg discusses disability-rights objections to Illinois SB 9 and reports that the proposal was withdrawn from a scheduled committee hearing for amendments. He argues that access to supportive care should take priority over legalizing assisted suicide.
Read →Assisted suicide can still be stopped from becoming law. The bill committee continued to meet in the past weeks, rejecting more amendments that could have made the bill safer. It’s increasingly clear that the cheerleaders for assisted suicide are not taking seriously enough concerns that vulnerable people would be pressured into death. MPs and others ... The post Pray against assisted suicide this Lent appeared first on Christian Concern .
Read →Schadenberg argues that Oregon SB 1003 would substantially broaden the state's assisted-suicide framework through changes to practitioner roles, waiting periods, and institutional policies. He cites objections from medical and disability advocates to support his criticism of the proposal.
Read →Amy Hasbrouck examines Quebec's five-year end-of-life-care report and compares its findings with earlier reporting. She identifies unanswered questions about consent, decision-making capacity, access to palliative care, and compliance oversight.
Read →Switzerland is the world’s suicide tourism capital. Indeed, for the price of transportation and about $11,000, you can be helped to make yourself dead at one of the country’s notorious suicide clinics. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland if not done for a “selfish” purpose and if the soon-to-be-dead person has decisional capacity. (Why charging more than $10,000 to help make one dead isn’t considered “selfish” is beyond me, because it sure ain’t altruistic!) It used to be that each such assisted suicide had to be at least cursorily investigated by the authorities. But now, that minimal pr
Read →Schadenberg compares Maine and New Jersey proposals to waive or shorten assisted-suicide waiting periods. He places both measures within his broader argument that legal safeguards are weakened after legalization.
Read →Schadenberg discusses anticipated California changes to assisted-suicide legislation before the full proposal was available. He draws on a sponsor's earlier bill and another commentator's forecast to warn of broader eligibility and methods.
Read →Friesen and fellow signatories urge Delaware lawmakers to reject a bill defining assisted death as medical care. The letter argues that this framing could create professional expectations and pressures affecting patients who do not want assisted death.
Read →Schadenberg estimates Canada's 2024 euthanasia total using available figures from Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. He explains that the national figure is a projection rather than the completed federal annual report.
Read →I previously wrote about pending Oregon and Vermont legislation to do away with the requirement that only doctors be allowed to legally assist suicides. Now, it’s Washington’s turn, with a proposal to allow “qualified medical providers” to prescribe poison, defined as a licensed physician, physician’s assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse. I previously opined about why I think this is a very bad idea, so I won’t belabor the points further. The Washington bill also speeds up the waiting period between the first and second request for poison pills for some suicidal patients: Notwithst
Read →Daniel Dieppe comments on life-saving amendments being rejected in the Assisted Suicide Bill Committee this week The assisted suicide bill is now on life support. In a dramatic last-minute manoeuvre, Kim Leadbeater has removed the “extra layer of safeguarding” High Court judge, and replaced it with a secretive, unscrutinised panel. The watering down of bill’s ... The post The assisted suicide bill gets more deadly appeared first on Christian Concern .
Read →Schadenberg describes a Washington proposal concerning assisted-suicide providers and waiver of the waiting period. He contrasts those proposed expansions with a Montana effort to restrict assisted suicide.
Read →Yesterday, I posted about a Vermont bill that would allow nondoctors to prescribe death. I found out today that Oregon has similar legislation pending that would allow “providers” to lethally prescribe. SB 1003 specifies that “provider” can mean a licensed physician, a licensed physician assistant, or a licensed nurse practitioner. I wouldn’t trust a PA or NP to diagnose me with six months to live. Would you? That is not a putdown. These valuable medical professionals’ primary roles are to provide generalized care, monitor and manage chronic conditions, and provide wellness services. But they
Read →Vermont has repeatedly expanded its assisted suicide law since it first passed. Nonresidents are allowed to receive lethal prescriptions, and assisted suicide can be prescribed via Zoom or Skype. Now, a bill has been filed that would allow nondoctor “clinicians” to prescribe death. From H.B. 75: This bill proposes to authorize naturopathic physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to participate in the processes established in Vermont’s patient choice at end-of-life laws. It would also allow naturopathic physicians to sign and issue do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and clinician
Read →Schadenberg examines an Oregon proposal to let additional categories of medical professionals prescribe assisted-suicide medication. He argues that replacing physician-specific language would increase participation and further expand the state's law.
Read →Care Not Killing responds to “deeply worrying” proposal to ditch High Court safeguard from Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill. The post CNK hits out at proposal to ditch High Court safeguard appeared first on Care Not Killing .
Read →Pro-assisted-suicide activists like to say the unethical act is legal in Montana. Strictly speaking, that isn’t true. Some years ago, a muddled Montana supreme court ruling refused to create a state constitutional right to assisted suicide as requested by activists because the Montana constitution’s legislative history made it clear that the court couldn’t. But wanting to legalize it anyway, the judges declared somehow that assisted suicide wasn’t against public policy of the state and that consent to such an act was a defense to a criminal charge. Montana has been in that muddled legal state
Read →Schadenberg reports Senate passage of a Montana bill intended to reverse the state's acceptance of assisted suicide. He summarizes supporters' concerns about vulnerable patients and urges further action in the state House.
Read →The number of couples requesting euthanasia together is on the rise in the Netherlands, according to official reports. In 2024, there were 54 such cases, compared to just nine in 2018. A notable case involving a former Dutch prime minister and his wife last year appears to have contributed to the growing demand. In the […] The post The coming trend: couples euthanasia first appeared on The Iona Institute .
Read →Schadenberg highlights Danielle Smith's comments in a television interview about the expansion of Canada's assisted-dying system. He focuses on her concerns about mental illness, inadequate support, and the difference between current practice and the law's original rationale.
Read →Head of Public Policy Tim Dieppe comments on Kim Leadbeater’s moves to legalise assisted suicide In November, the assisted suicide bill proposed by Kim Leadbeater MP passed its second reading. Many MPs were persuaded to vote for the bill on the promise of detailed scrutiny at Committee stage. Since then, we’ve seen several attempts by ... The post Leadbeater stacks the deck on assisted suicide appeared first on Christian Concern .
Read →Schadenberg urges Delaware residents to oppose renewed assisted-suicide legislation following the prior governor's veto. The action alert supplies legislative contacts and arguments its author considers reasons to reject the proposal.
Read →This week, MPs debated the costs involved with Kim Leadbeater MP’s bill to legalise assisted suicide. Christian Concern’s public policy team covers some of the highlights and lowlights of the debate To further the assisted suicide bill, MPs must first approve its financing through what is called the ‘money resolutions’ stage. This week, Kim Leadbeater, ... The post MPs approve ‘blank cheque’ for funding assisted suicide appeared first on Christian Concern .
Read →Schadenberg reviews changes in jurisdictions that have already permitted assisted suicide. Using examples involving waiting periods and eligible prescribers, he argues that lawmakers should not rely on initial safeguards remaining intact.
Read →Schadenberg discusses restrictions imposed by a clinic on Ellen Wiebe following a disputed euthanasia approval for an Alberta woman. He relates the clinic's affidavit and an earlier court injunction to his call for scrutiny of eligibility decisions.
Read →Schadenberg critiques a renewed New York assisted-suicide bill and comments made by its sponsor. He interprets the proposed limits as politically temporary and argues that legalization could be followed by expansion.
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