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HomePhysician-assisted suicidePhysician-assisted suicide fast-tracked

Physician-assisted suicide fast-tracked

A bill seeking to legalize physician-assisted suicide introduced at the Colorado State Legislature Jan. 27 is being rushed through the legislative process.

House Bill 1135, which will be heard in committee Feb. 6 (only 10 days after its introduction), would allow Colorado residents diagnosed as terminally ill access to “life-ending” drugs if a doctor determines them to be mentally competent to make the decision, and if two other doctors agree the patient is within six months of dying.

In response to the proposed legislation, the Archdiocese of Denver sent an urgent email to pastors and parishes asking that a pulpit announcement be read at all weekend Masses Jan. 31-Feb. 1 to raise awareness of HB1135, and to encourage parishioners to contact their state representatives.

“A law allowing physician-assisted suicide would further entrench a culture of death in our laws here in Colorado, demean the lives of vulnerable patients—exposing them to exploitation—and corrupt the medical profession, whose ethical code calls on physicians to serve life and never to kill,” the statement read.

The email also included an insert titled “Physician-Assisted Suicide: What’s at Stake?” responding to Frequently Asked Questions about assisted suicide for parishes to distribute with Feb. 7-8 weekly bulletins. The insert addressed questions such as: Why shouldn’t assisted suicide be legalized? What about competent, terminally ill people who say they really want assisted suicide? What does the Catholic Church teach?

In addition, it listed “Four Things You Can Do to oppose physician-assisted suicide,” including contact lawmakers, write letters to the editor to local newspapers, and talk with friends and family about danger the legislation poses to Coloradans.

For more information, contact the Colorado Catholic Conference at 303-894-8808 or ccc@cocatholicconference.org.

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Resources

READ & SHARE: “Physician-Assisted Suicide: What’s at Stake?” from the Archdiocese of Denver available here.

READ: House Bill 1135 co-sponsored by Lois Court-D (District 6), Joann Ginal-D (District 52) and Lucia Guzman-D (District 34) can be read here.

SIGN UP: Sign up for news and action alerts from the Colorado Catholic Conference by joining their Legislative Network at www.cocatholicconference.org.

 

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