Victory for Life as Maryland Assisted Suicide bill defeated for the 8th time

Image credit: Nani Chavez via Unsplash

In what has been hailed a pro-life victory, a bill in Maryland that sought to legalise assisted suicide has been defeated for the eighth time after those opposing the bill sent over 8,000 letters urging legislators to vote against it.

The bill titled the “End of Life Options Act”, was introduced in Maryland for the eighth time in the House (HB1328) and in the Senate (SB926), which would allow doctors to end the life of their patient if it is determined that they have six months left to live. The bill would require for patients to give two oral requests, with one being done alone with the doctor, and a written request which would require two witnesses.

However, the bill was defeated after the efforts of those opposing the bill, leading to the House bill being stalled, and the Senate bill being denied a reading, in what has been described as a pro-life victory

“We are extremely grateful to our supporters and partners who took action to oppose this dangerous bill that would license medical providers to kill and reduce the standard of medical care for all,” said Maryland Right to Life. “Maryland Right to Life testified against the House bill alongside our partners including the Dignity Mandate and Patients Rights Action Fund, who collaborated to present expert legal and medical witness testimonies.”

“Maryland Right to Life supporters sent an amazing 8,424 letters to legislators urging them to vote against the Physician Assisted Suicide to protect vulnerable individuals and the integrity of the medical profession. THANK YOU!” they added.

Americans United for Life also took to social media to celebrate this victory for life.

“Victory!!” they said. “We at Americans United for Life celebrate the defeat of two Physician-Assisted Suicide bills in Maryland (HB1328 & SB926). Through numerous grassroots testimonies and thousands of letters speaking out against PAS, one bill stalled in the House and the other was denied a hearing in the Senate. This is a HUGE win for life!”

According to LifeSiteNews, currently nine states in the US have legalised assisted suicide, with Delaware recently taking a step closer to becoming the tenth state. Assisted Suicide is also being pushed in Ireland, with the Dail voting to accept a report recommending to legalise it in October last year. The UK has also been battling with an assisted suicide legislation over the last few months, however, that bill was recently thrown into doubt and the author agreed to postpone it.

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented, saying: “Bravo to all the pro-lifers who came together to stand against such a dangerous and life-threatening bill. This just goes to show how much impact our live-saving pro-life work really has. Not only has this bill been defeated, but it has been defeated for the 8th time. This is inspirational”

“Assisted suicide has no place in an inclusive society. Advocates for assisted suicide claim this is about “dignity” and “choice” but it is not. All assisted suicide does is bring about an attitude that some lives are worth fighting for and others are not. This is unacceptable and we must always be prepared to stand up to protect those that are most vulnerable.”

“This case in Maryland shows exactly what we can do if we keep up the fight for life!”