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Michigan Senate Democrats introduced three bills to legalize physician involvement in patient suicide on November 9, 2023:
SB 679 (2023) - Sentencing Guidelines for Crimes Involving Physician-assisted Suicide;
SB 680 (2023) - Licensing Sanctions for Compliance with Death With Dignity Act;
SB 681 (2023) - Death With Dignity Act.
These bills are tie barred.
MI Senate Democrats introduce "Death with Dignity" bills
By Sarah Cwiek | November 10, 2023A group of state senators in Michigan has introduced bills they say would allow terminally ill patients to choose death with dignity, by providing the option for death via prescribed medication in certain circumstances.
The Democratic senators say their bills have one goal: allowing people facing a terminal diagnosis to “end their lives peacefully on their own timeline.” They argue it’s a matter of human dignity and compassion to offer people in those circumstances the option to end their lives without pain, when they choose to do so.
But there would be limits on that. The option would only be available to patients expected to die within six months, and who are judged mentally capable of making that decision. There would also be a 15-day waiting period from when a patient officially requests a medication-assisted death.
“So many of us share the painful experience of having witnessed a loved one suffer, knowing they could have benefited from an expanded end-of-life care option. Patients deserve the trust and respect to make their own medical decisions, including the choice to determine their own timeline to end ongoing suffering during the oftentimes dark battle they face,” said Senator Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.), lead sponsor of the bill package. “The Death with Dignity Act honors the autonomy and dignity of every person, ensuring they maintain power in the entirety of their life. This is a compassionate policy that would provide Michiganders and their loved ones with peace of mind when facing terminal illness.”
“Granting individuals the autonomy to choose dignified end of life care is not just an act of compassion but a testament to the value of personal freedom,” added Senator Sam Singh (D-East Lansing). “This legislation offers the solace of choice, while also providing critical safeguards to ensure its application is safe and protects our most vulnerable patients.”
The practice is currently illegal in Michigan. In the 1990s, then-Michigan Governor John Engler signed a law banning physician-assisted death in Michigan. The bills are expected to garner opposition from groups like Right to Life of Michigan and the Catholic Church, which strongly oppose the practice.
Public Act 270 of 1992 (MCL 752.1021 et seq.) is the Assistance To Suicide Act referenced in the MPR story.
The Midwesterner reports updates on these assisted suicide bills, plus the mandate for insurance to cover it.
There's an incredible irony (doublespeak!) in applying "dignity" to the taking of life. Where I come from, dignity means holding life in esteem; and recognizing the value of each life. Certainly, dignity precludes hustling people off this mortal coil before their time.
Using law and the apparatus of state government to facilitate killing is a vile perversion of the American concept of government; and of the core function of our officials, sworn to secure life, liberty, and property.
Ending Michigan’s misery: Senate Democrats push assisted suicide bills!
Dem lawmakers say 'assisted suicide to not only be acceptable, but an essential element of personal freedom'
Michigan Senate Democrats are aiming to pass legislation that would legalize and promote assisted suicide throughout the state, WLNS 6 reported last November.
That controversial legislation has found new life due to the upcoming lame duck session of Michigan’s majority Democrats in the House and Senate following this November’s election.
Senate Bills 678-681, which are collectively referred to as the “Death with Dignity Act,” would make it legal for Michiganders to use their insurance to acquire life-ending prescription drugs, allowing them to “die on their own timeline.”
“[A] health insurance policy shall not deny or limit coverage for an insured that intends to end the insured’s life in accordance with the death with dignity act,” the bill says.
Democrats told the media at the time that they understand assisted suicide to not only be acceptable, but an essential element of personal freedom.
“Granting individuals the autonomy to choose dignified end-of-life care is not just an act of compassion but a testament to the value of personal freedom,” Sen. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, told the media at the time.
Cavanagh specifically mentioned that she knows many people who would have “benefitted” from assisted suicide.
“Patients deserve the trust and respect to make their own medical decisions, including the choice to determine their own timeline to end ongoing suffering during the oftentimes dark battle they face,” Cavanagh continued, calling it a “compassionate policy.”
If the bill package is passed, Michigan would become the 11th state in America to treat self-annihilation as a right to be supported by the state.
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