Death by Suicide in NJ Senate Health Tomorrow
So called "Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act which permits a qualified terminally ill patient to self-administer medication to end life in humane and dignified manner."
Who defines humane and dignified?
There are many dangers with this bill. The Medical Insurance company can be a witness.
Last term when the Assembly passed assisted suicide, some Republicans brought up the fact that this bill allows medical insurance companies to be an acceptable agent to oversee that the patient truly wanted to commit suicide. The Democrat controlled Assembly voted to reject a move to send the bill back to committee, to amend the bill to remove this obvious conflict of interest. Sponsor Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D) West Deptford; promised multiple people that he would amend this bill to make it clear that medical insurance companies were biased witnesses and can not have anything to do with this process. However this year the bill remains unchanged in this regard, and still allows the most biased witness of all, the medical insurance companies, to witness the process that the patient "willingly" committed suicide.
This is unethical by any standard.
The NJ Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will hold a hearing at 1:00 PM tomorrow Thursday February 7, 2019, in room 6 in the State House Annex Building.
The Center for Garden State Families urges you to call the Senate Health Committee members listed below and politely express your opinion on this dangerous legislation. They may not be your state senator but they all are making decisions that affect you and your families.
Vitale, Joseph F. - Chair
- (732) 855-7441
Madden, Fred H. - Vice-Chair
- (856) 232-6700
Vitale, Joseph F. - Chair
- (973) 627-9700
Codey, Richard J.
- (973) 535-5017
Corrado, Kristin M.
- (973) 237-1360
Gopal, Vin
- (732) 695-3371
Holzapfel, James W.
- (732) 840-9028
Lagana, Joseph A.
- (201) 576-9199
Rice, Ronald L.
- (973) 371-5665
Singer, Robert W.
- (732) 987-5669