The Catholic Spirit: Physician-assisted suicide bill set for a hearing March 7; Minnesota Catholic Conference urges action

A bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide for a swath of Minnesotans who have a terminal diagnosis will receive a hearing and a vote March 7 before the Minnesota House of Representatives’s Public Safety and Finance Policy Committee.

The bill, HF1930/SF1813, is “one of the most aggressive physician-assisted suicide bills in the country” officials with the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) have said. On Jan. 25, the House Health and Finance Policy Committee heard testimony on the bill and voted it forward.

On March 4, the MCC, as well as a letter signed by six Minnesota bishops, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda, urged people to oppose the legislation. The letter affirmed “the intrinsic value and dignity of every human life from conception to natural death” and asked Catholics to take concrete measures to oppose physician-assisted suicide, often referred to as PAS.

“We need every Catholic to contact their legislators and tell them to create policies that improve healthcare throughout life’s journey, not those like PAS that hasten death. As a faithful Catholic, your ongoing dedication to protecting and promoting the sanctity of life will make an impact at the Capitol,” the letter reads.

Broadly, the bill would allow people with a terminal diagnosis to obtain the lethal dose of a drug with no mental health evaluation requirement, no family notification and no nurse or doctor present when the drug is taken. The bill does not include any safeguards for people with disabilities, MCC officials said.

Additionally, the bill has no residency requirements for a lethal prescription, effectively making Minnesota a destination state for assisted suicide.

People who oppose the bill can send a message to their representatives by using a streamlined messaging interface on the MCC website or the Minnesota MN Alliance for Ethical Healthcare website.

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