Many of you may have already heard that HB 1135, a house bill to legalize physician assisted suicide,  was introduced on 1/27/15.   In order to help voice our opposition to this bill the following things can be done:

  1. CHURCHES: Call your pastor and offer to be of service to him.   The Colorado Catholic Conference has provided parishes with resources to help oppose the legislation.  You can help handout flyers at next weekend’s Masses and to answer questions about the legislation that people might have.
  2. LEGISLATORS: Contact the legislators that are on the committee that the bill has been assigned.    See attached bulletin insert for talking points about the bill and contact information for legislators.   Calling AND meeting in person with the legislators is very helpful.
  3. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Write letters to the editor both to local papers as well as the Denver Post.   The more letters submitted the more likely things will get printed.   This is for EVERYONE to do.
  4. FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES: Ask friends, colleagues in medicine, and family to contact the legislators on the committee as well
  5. COLORADO MEDICAL SOCIETY: For physicians who are members of the Colorado Medical Society contact the society and voice your opposition and encourage the society to oppose the bill.  Click on this link to contact the CMS.    The CMS has a legislature night on February 4th for physicians to voice their opinion on healthcare related issues.   If you are interested attending let me know ASAP as the deadline to RSVP is tomorrow.
  6. MORE – If you are willing to participate more in the efforts to defeat this bill please send a note back to this.

The Patients Rights Council has a tremendous amount of information on its website to help with talking points as well as other resources.    Please visit there website so that you can educate yourself to talk eloquently about the issues.   There are a number of reasons why this legislation is dangerous.   One example from Oregon where physician assisted suicide is legal from a patient named Barbara Wagner was DENIED treatment for her cancer from her insurance company but approved her physician assisted suicide medication.   Her story is here:  http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5517492

Here is a link to the bill and an analysis of the bill that the Patients Rights Council has provided http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/colorado/.
If you have specific questions or concerns please reply to this email.
This legislation is imperative to oppose as it stands to breakdown the integrity of the medical profession and under value people in general.

Michelle Stanford, MD

http://denvercma.org/

http://www.fiamc.org/?s=assisted+suicide

http://cathmed.org/resources/blog/cma-issues-white-paper-on-polst