Pro Life Corner
Compassion and Choices, formerly known as the Hemlock Society, has been working behind the scenes in Illinois to prepare for a push for “death by prescription/physician assisted suicide“ legislation. Compassion and Choices has been successful in making physician-assisted suicide legal in many states. They do not call it “suicide,” of course; they call it “death with dignity” and a “compassionate choice.”
Compassion and Choices claim that the principle of personal autonomy should allow patients to request that a doctor provide them with a lethal overdose of medication. They want to make suicide seem like a good thing. By making it available by prescription from a doctor a person that most people think is trustworthy and caring, they are trying to legitimize the evil of a person taking his or her own life
Compassion and Choices claim that suicide is a private act that enhances personal dignity.However, suicide never solves any one’s problems and no one kills him or herself without affecting other people. This is one reason that suicide has always been discouraged. It permanently damages families, relationships, and communities. Our communities have always supported suicide prevention efforts. We need to fight suicide, not encourage it.
Suicide is never a good thing. Suicide is not a treatment for any illness.
Compassion and Choices argues that physician assisted legislation is “needed” by patients. No one “needs suicide
people who are dying from cancer and are in pain are entitled to the love and support of family and friends and medications to ameliorate their pain while they and their loved ones prepare for their death
In states where Death by Prescription and Physician Assisted Suicide are legal, insurance companies now often refuse to authorize more expensive life prolonging treatments for cancer or other complicated illnesses BUT WILL authorize funding for PAS. Can you imagine if your wife or husband, the mother or father of your children, was diagnosed with a serious illness for which there is treatment available but your insurance company would only authorize suicide pills for him or her? This is what is happening in states where PAS is legal. Physician assisted suicide is actually encouraged by some insurance companies because it is SO CHEAP!
PAS can save insurance companies lots of money. As health costs have increased, insurance companies have continuously sought ways to decrease costs. When PAS is a legal medical treatment, it becomes the least expensive treatment and therefore it can become the preferred treatment! Simply denying claims, or delaying processing of claims for treatments may be enough to coerce a patient to “choose” PAS. Do you trust your insurance company or company bureaucrat to make the right decision about someone that you love?
When insurance companies encourage anyone to commit suicide, it is implied that some lives are not worth living and then, all life is cheapened. This happens whenever suicide is legalized.
Compassion and Choices argues that you can be personally opposed to the legislation but still allow other physicians the right to kill their patients; however, an intentional overdose of drugs is not a treatment for ANY DISEASE OR ILLNESS; It should never be legal! Physician Assisted Suicide is not comfort care but rather abandonment. Physician assisted suicide is not medical care, but rather the opposite of care
Physician assisted suicide is not healing but rather, it is KILLING . Death is not a “treatment” for anything.
Suicide is never a good thing. Suicide is not a treatment for any illness.
Compassion and Choices claim that the principle of personal autonomy should allow patients to request that a doctor provide them with a lethal overdose of medication. They want to make suicide seem like a good thing. By making it available by prescription from a doctor a person that most people think is trustworthy and caring, they are trying to legitimize the evil of a person taking his or her own life
Compassion and Choices claim that suicide is a private act that enhances personal dignity.However, suicide never solves any one’s problems and no one kills him or herself without affecting other people. This is one reason that suicide has always been discouraged. It permanently damages families, relationships, and communities. Our communities have always supported suicide prevention efforts. We need to fight suicide, not encourage it.
Suicide is never a good thing. Suicide is not a treatment for any illness.
Compassion and Choices argues that physician assisted legislation is “needed” by patients. No one “needs suicide
people who are dying from cancer and are in pain are entitled to the love and support of family and friends and medications to ameliorate their pain while they and their loved ones prepare for their death
In states where Death by Prescription and Physician Assisted Suicide are legal, insurance companies now often refuse to authorize more expensive life prolonging treatments for cancer or other complicated illnesses BUT WILL authorize funding for PAS. Can you imagine if your wife or husband, the mother or father of your children, was diagnosed with a serious illness for which there is treatment available but your insurance company would only authorize suicide pills for him or her? This is what is happening in states where PAS is legal. Physician assisted suicide is actually encouraged by some insurance companies because it is SO CHEAP!
PAS can save insurance companies lots of money. As health costs have increased, insurance companies have continuously sought ways to decrease costs. When PAS is a legal medical treatment, it becomes the least expensive treatment and therefore it can become the preferred treatment! Simply denying claims, or delaying processing of claims for treatments may be enough to coerce a patient to “choose” PAS. Do you trust your insurance company or company bureaucrat to make the right decision about someone that you love?
When insurance companies encourage anyone to commit suicide, it is implied that some lives are not worth living and then, all life is cheapened. This happens whenever suicide is legalized.
Compassion and Choices argues that you can be personally opposed to the legislation but still allow other physicians the right to kill their patients; however, an intentional overdose of drugs is not a treatment for ANY DISEASE OR ILLNESS; It should never be legal! Physician Assisted Suicide is not comfort care but rather abandonment. Physician assisted suicide is not medical care, but rather the opposite of care
Physician assisted suicide is not healing but rather, it is KILLING . Death is not a “treatment” for anything.
Suicide is never a good thing. Suicide is not a treatment for any illness.
