Massachusetts joins Vermont in home-grown Death with Dignity efforts.
posted by Peg Sandeen, MSW on September 9, 2011
A coalition of Massachusetts citizens has come together to place a Death with Dignity law—modeled after Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity legislation—on the Massachusetts ballot for 2012! Massachusetts now joins Vermont as one of two New England states initiating home-grown Death with Dignity efforts.
The Death with Dignity Political Action Fund, and its educational affiliate—the Death with Dignity National Center—are working at full capacity to support both states financially and with our political and legal expertise. We are very excited at the prospect of there being two new Death with Dignity laws enacted in 2012!
Efforts are moving at a rapid pace, and there are still many hurdles to overcome before the proposal reaches the ballot. Most of the steps are not public, but we want you to have an inside peek into the progress:
- August 2nd: proposed law filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.
- September 7th: the Attorney General produced a summary for voters and certified the proposal to the ballot.
- By the end of November Dignity 2012 will need to gather nearly 70,000 valid signatures (estimated cost $325,000).
Here's where we need your help. In order for their efforts to be successful, they need to educate the citizens of Massachusetts about the law and gather over 800 signatures per day. The more people understand how the law works—its safeguards, and the Oregon story—the more likely they are to sign a petition to add the question to the 2012 ballot and support its passage.
We have no doubt that Dignity 2012 will succeed in their endeavor. The people of Massachusetts already overwhelmingly support Death with Dignity policy. On the day the proposal was filed, a Quincy, MA, newspaper hosted an online, non-scientific poll, and over 70% of of the 643 respondents indicated they would vote for this initiative!
Prominent medical professionals are also stepping forward to lend their vocal support. As quoted in the Boston Herald, former Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and one of the original petitioners of the proposal, Marcia Angell, stated:
The Massachusetts Death with Dignity Act would create a legally sanctioned process for dying patients whose suffering cannot be adequately controlled to receive a prescription from a licensed physician to bring about a peaceful and dignified death. As a physician who has studied this issue over many years, I believe the people of Massachusetts are ready to consider giving suffering patients this option.
The Death with Dignity Political Action Fund is ready too! As a partner in these efforts, we're providing support to these grassroots activities. We hope you'll help us as we lend our expertise to their efforts to bring Death with Dignity to Massachusetts and Vermont.
The time is now for New England to have safe, state-monitored physician-hastened dying for terminally ill adult residents. Please join us as we lend our full support to these critical efforts with a gift to the Death with Dignity Political Action Fund today.
Defend dignity. Take action.
You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.
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Who We Are
The Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund partners with the Death with Dignity National Center and conducts lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states.
Learn more about efforts to bring dignity to people around the nation.
History
The Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) began in 1993 as Oregon Right to Die, a state political action committee, formed to help pass the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. The Death with Dignity Act was tied up by legal challenges and a legislative repeal effort until the fall of 1997.
In late 2001, Oregon Right to Die changed its name and tax status to become the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund. This effort was undertaken so the organization could more easily combine its political strengths with the Death with Dignity National Center. Together these organizations are positioned to lead the charge in the death with dignity movement.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. We are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
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