California Hispanic Group Joins Opposition to Legislation Promoting Euthanasia

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 8, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

California Hispanic Group Joins Opposition to Legislation Promoting Euthanasia

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 8
, 2008

Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — Pro-life and disability rights groups in California are already getting out calls and emails to lawmakers about a measure that promotes euthanasia. Now one of the leading Hispanic groups in the state, LULAC, is on board and joining the fight against the measure.

The groups are opposed to AB 2747, a measure sponsored by the lawmaker who has repeatedly tried to legalize assisted suicide.

The bill, as the California Pro-Life Council has said, encourages medically vulnerable individuals to kill themselves through voluntary dehydration.

Though lawmakers make some minor changes to the legislation to alleviate the concerns of pro-life groups, neither CPLC nor the National Right to Life Committee have dropped their concerns and opposition.

Now, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the state has chimed in as well.

The group approved a resolution noting that the bill is sponsored by the pro-assisted suicide organization compassion and Choices. It complains that "AB 2747 places the label of ‘terminally ill’ on patients that may have many years of life ahead of them."

"The League of United Latin American Citizens opposes AB 2747 and any effort to legalize or legitimize physician assisted suicide," it said in the resolution.

"The bill mandates that a physician discuss the cost and burden of medial treatment with ‘terminally ill’ patients and their families. It allows medical professionals to refer ‘terminally ill’ patients to Compassion and Choices and their pro-assisted suicide counselors rather than accredited hospice care," it explained.

According to CPLC, the bill would codify palliative sedation and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking as legitimate means of pain control and allow doctors and nurses to suggest death by unconscious dehydration.

CPLC director Brian Johnston has previously talked with LifeNews.com about the concerns.

"We urge all those concerned about the very real risks posed to the medically and emotionally vulnerable to continue opposing this bill," he said.

Johnston called the changes made to the legislation in June “bell and whistle amendments” that looked good but did not remove the significant concerns pro-life advocates have with the bill.

Johnston told LifeNews.com the changes “in no way changed the substantive effect” of the bill in terms of it promoting euthanasia.

“Unfortunately, these ‘attention getting amendments’ distracted some and convinced them to drop opposition to the bill,” Johnston said.

Johnston said the concern remains that medical professionals will continue to be able to “sell” patients euthanasia under the measure.

The confusion about whether the changes really improved the bill led members of the committee to support it and send the harmful legislation to the California Senate floor. The measure has already been approved by the State Assembly and CPLC hopes to defeat the bill in the Senate.

“The known goal of the Patty Berg bill, AB 2747, has been to proselytize medically vulnerable patients with this information, thus promoting the idea of ‘assisted suicide’ among those who may not otherwise think this way,” he added.

Johnston concluded, “AB 2747 has been recognized by many as a truly bad bill; both because it mandates what medical professionals actually say to patients and when they say it (at their most vulnerable time), and because it bodes ill for these medically and emotionally vulnerable patients.”

The pro-life group is offering packets of postcards for purchase that state residents can use to contact their legislators and they are available on the CPLC web site.

ACTION: Contact members of the California Senate by going to https://www.sen.ca.gov and urge strong opposition to the bill.

Related web sites:
California Pro-Life Council – https://www.californiaprolife.org

 

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