Assisted suicide is not legal in Montana

Editor:

I am the coordinator of Montanans Against Assisted Suicide & For Living with Dignity.

I write to make two points. First, physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Montana.

A bill that would have accomplished that goal was defeated in our last legislative session. During hearings on that bill, the sponsor, Sen. Anders Blewett, a lawyer, conceded that assisted suicide is not legal. He stated: "Under the current law, there's nothing to protect the doctor from prosecution."

To view a transcript of this quote and other related quotes, go online to http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/MT_blewett_transcript167_001.pdf.

Second, in Oregon, where assisted-suicide is legal, legalization has allowed the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) to steer people to suicide.

The most well-known cases involve Barbara Wagner and Randy Stroup. They wanted treatment, the plan offered them assisted suicide instead.

They were steered to suicide. It was the Oregon Health Plan, a government entity, doing the steering. State-sanctioned suicide empowers the government, not the individual. See Susan Donaldson James, "Death Drugs Cause Uproar in Oregon," ABC News, Aug. 6, 2008, at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=5517492 and "Letter noting assisted suicide raises questions," July 30, 2008, http://www.katu.com/news/26119539.html.

If anyone would like to keep assisted suicide out of Montana, please contact me. And thanks for all the donations. They are needed and appreciated

Bradley D. Williams, coordinator

Montanans Against Assisted

Suicide and For Living with Dignity