Physician-Assisted Suicide - Flocknote/Bulletin

What actually happens in a physician-assisted suicide?

A doctor prescribes a lethal drug cocktail that a person picks up at the local pharmacy, grinds up into soft food, and injests. The person may not die for hours or even days. There are no requirements for a witness or notification of family. Assisted suicide isn’t dignified; it’s deadly. Tell your Minnesota legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas

Physician-assisted suicide tells people they’re burdensome

In Oregon, data shows people request suicide drugs not for pain, but because they can’t do the same activities that they could before, can’t control bodily functions, feel they’ve lost dignity, or feel they are a burden. Suicide drugs aren’t the answer. Everyone deserves loving, supportive care, affirmation of their dignity, and to know that they are never a burden. Tell your state legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas

Physician-assisted suicide targets the elderly

Elderly in Minnesota have a higher rate of suicide than any other age group – double the teen suicide rate. Yet a proposed physician-assisted suicide bill does not require a mental health evaluation to screen for depression. Assisted suicide isn’t compassionate, it’s deadly. Tell your state legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas

Physician-assisted suicide is dangerous for Minnesota

If assisted suicide became legal, several kinds of lethal drugs would be prescribed and then dispensed at your neighborhood pharmacy. Data shows that where assisted suicide is legal, up to 40% of the drugs are never used. They could end up in the hands of our children. Tell your legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas

Disability rights activists oppose physician-assisted suicide

Major disability rights groups, including the National Council on Disability, oppose physician-assisted suicide. Disabled people already face prejudice from doctors and people who assume they’re “better dead than disabled.” Assisted suicide encourages this kind of prejudice. People with disabilities deserve care, not suicide. Tell your state legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas

Doctors oppose physician-assisted suicide

The American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and dozens of other medical groups oppose physician-assisted suicide. The AMA says, “Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer.” Physicians are entrusted with saving lives, not ending them. Tell your legislators: NO assisted suicide. Visit mncatholic.org/pas