First, they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. Pastor Martin Niemöller – January 1946

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary euthanasia, is a word that comes to us from the Greek term meaning “easy death.” It’s not however, a word widely used by advocates of the “Death with Dignity” movement. They like to use more soothing words in the titles of their organizations like Compassion & Choices, Final Exit Network, Dignity in Dying, Dignitas, and Exit to name a few.

On the way to making society comfortable with the concept of “Death with Dignity”, there are reasons supporters avoid incorporating the term “euthanasia” in their quest for legalization. Foremost would be the inclusion of the words “…the act or practice of killing…” in the dictionary definition.… Read More

Rather than waiting for proposed assisted suicide legislation to work through the legislative committee process earlier this year, a lawsuit asked the California Superior Court to find that patients facing the end of life have a “civil right” under the California State Constitution “to make their own decisions about their bodies.”

But a Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit saying that physician-assisted suicide should be addressed in the Legislature.

Yet that’s exactly what the lawsuit was trying to avoid. When the latest assisted suicide bill, the “End of Life Option Act” was shelved in July because Democrats could not get enough Democrat votes, many insiders thought that the bill, and issue, was dead on arrival – particularly after the… Read More

Opponents of assisted dying warn that significant numbers of seriously ill people, as well as the disabled, the mentally ill, and even those who are depressed, could end up being swept up in the new law, prioritizing cost effectiveness, over higher costs of ongoing care.

“Assisted suicide proponents frequently appeal to free choice and self-determination. But in reality, legalized assisted suicide actually diminishes individual choice, control, and self-determination,” warns the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund.

This week, Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, introduced the End of Life Option Act, a bill to authorize medical aid-in-dying in California.

Senate Bill 128, is modeled on… Read More