Washington Assisted Suicide Opponents Make Last Push for No Vote on I-1000
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 3, 2008
Olympia, WA (LifeNews.com) — The Coalition Against Assisted Suicide is making its last push in Washington state to get voters there to oppose the I-1000 initiative that would make it the second state to legalize assisted suicide. Carrie Herring tells LifeNews.com that internal polling shows the battle will go down to the wire.
"This race is very close, and every no against I-1000 and assisted suicide will make a difference," she says.
Herring says every voter could make the differences and she hopes pro-life advocates will make last-minute phone calls and send emails to convince friends and family to vote against it.
After all of the ads that have flooded the airwaves about the assisted suicide measure, Herring told LifeNews.com she hopes voters remember a few key points when they head to the polls.
"At the end of the day, what we are left with is a fatally flawed initiative which makes it possible for patients suffering from depression to receive a lethal drug overdose. There is no requirement for a mental health evaluation before a patient receives these drugs," she explains.
Herring worries I-1000 "does not require spouse, family, or next-of-kin notification. Someone in your family may commit assisted suicide without you ever knowing — before or after."
She said the measure "does not require that a witness be present at the time of death. There is no way to protect vulnerable patients from abuse."
The assisted suicide law would also "put low-income persons at risk of abuse by insurance companies who would rather pay for a $100 lethal prescription than expensive end-of-life care. "
The most recent polls showed I-1000 with significant leads but euthanasia opponents called those polls into question and said their own internal polling showed a very close race that could be decided by a few percentage points one way or the other.
Related web sites:
Coalition Against Assisted Suicide – https://www.noassistedsuicide.com
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
