Euthanasia Issue Heats Up Here and in France

Compassion and Choices (C & C), the leading American pro-euthanasia group, is promoting efforts to legalize assisted suicide in Vermont, Hawaii and Montana. Bills have already been introduced in Hawaii and Montana with intense lobbying occurring from both sides of the debate.

In Vermont, legislation to legalize assisted suicide has been proposed but not yet introduced. The new Governor of Vermont campaigned on a platform to legalize assisted suicide. Vermont overwhelmingly defeated such a measure in 2007, but a new legislature and the Governor make the situation there dire. C & C and its allies have publicly stated they will have an early “win” in 2011 in a New England state (probably Vermont) and move on to a ballot initiative in 2012 in another New England state (probably Maine or Massachusetts).

The Montana battle is interesting due to a court decision in late 2009 which left in doubt whether assisted suicide is legal in that state. Bills to both prohibit and legalize assisted suicide are being promoted with a hearing scheduled for February 9 on the bill to overturn the court decision and prohibit assisted suicide.

In France, the French Senate just defeated a measure to legalize assisted suicide by a 170-142 vote. This is a significant defeat as proponents of euthanasia have been active in Europe for years with major victories in The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Read article about the French Senate defeat here.

Barbara Lyons