We are very thankful to report that the physician-assisted suicide bill, SB 3499, hasn’t advanced in Springfield since it was introduced in February and then amended in March. Thankfully, opposition to this legislation has been mounting. Late last week, the liberal Chicago Sun-Times published an op-ed titled, “Don’t be fooled by support for ‘medical-aid-in-dying.’ You’re not getting the full story” which we recommend to you.
In this op-ed, author Bryan Just rightly points out that insurance companies:
“companies would have an incentive to direct people toward it because it is cheaper than treatment. It’s possible people would find themselves in situations where coverage for their treatment is delayed or denied, but they are approved for immediate physician-assisted suicide. Pressures like this disproportionately affect those with disabilities, so much so that a disability rights group is suing California over its laws, calling them ‘discriminatory.’”
This is a frightening scenario to consider.
And speaking of California, we can see clear evidence of “the slippery slope” as state legislators there have been gradually relaxing the criteria for assisted suicide over the last eight years. Right now, they are considering how to expand the number of people doctors can legally help commit suicide, all in the name of “compassion.” Proposed legislation in California aims to eliminate the current requirement that individuals must have only six months to live to qualify for assisted suicide, significantly broadening eligibility for this homicidal practice. According to this article, California lawmakers are even considering expanding assisted suicide to include patients with “early and mid-stage dementia.”
This is why it is vitally important to speak out now and urge your state senator to vigorously oppose physician-assisted suicide getting a foothold in Illinois. (Click HERE to do that now.)
Please pray for our state lawmakers as they consider SB 3499 and hundreds of other legislative proposals over the next two months.
