Lobbying Seminar Planned to Fight Involuntary Euthanasia in Texas
By Monica Hatcher

Last year Texas citizens became dangerously vulnerable to legislation which would have made involuntary euthanasia legal statewide. Senate Bill 414, section 166.046(b), passed by both houses in the 75th Texas legislature, stated simply that "A physician, or health care professional acting under the directive of a physician, is not civilly or criminally liable for failing to effectuate a qualified patient's directive." This brief statement would have allowed physicians to commit euthanasia against a patient's expressed will with impunity had it not been for the efforts of the Texas Right to Life Committee (TRLC) and the courageous veto of Texas's staunchly pro-life governor George W. Bush.

Although this bill was vetoed, Texas finds itself in dire need of continued action, as the example of recent efforts of Houston area hospitals to develop a policy on medical futility demonstrate.

In the August 21, 1996, Journal of the American Medical Association, an article entitled "A Multi-institution Collaborative Process on Medical Futility" describes the process by which Houston hospitals are working to balance patient autonomy with "medical integrity" by allowing for the involuntary euthanasia of patients whose requests to live are judged by the " responsible physician" and medical institution to be in conflict with professional and institutional values. Other policies and actions similar to the Houston policy could use the loophole in the aforementioned legislation to legally override patients' or surrogates' requests for life-sustaining treatment should the bill resurface as TRLC expects in the next Texas legislative session.

Continued action against involuntary euthanasia is crucial if Texans are to be ensured the right to life in the face of rationed health care and pro-death policies such as those of several Houston hospitals. For this reason, the Texas Right to Life Committee plans to conduct two lobbying seminars in Houston and Dallas to educate and coordinate Texas members in legislative efforts to ban involuntary euthanasia.

The seminar will focus on equipping members with information about the issues that may also arise in the upcoming legislative session. Intensive instruction in effective argumentation, lobbying tactics, and coaching will be planned. This will be followed by individual videotaping sessions in which participants will be evaluated and critiqued for their ability to articulate and defend their position.

Conducting the seminars will be Jim Graham, executive director of TRLC; Joe Kral IV, legislative director for TRLC; Burke Balch, Esq., director of the Medical Ethics Department of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC); and Mary Spaulding Balch, Esq., director of NRLC's State Legislation Department.

In Houston, the seminar will be co-sponsored by the philosophy department of the University of St. Thomas. It will take place at the university on Saturday, July 18. In Dallas, the seminar will be conducted the following day on the campus of the University of Dallas.

Both seminars are free of charge with lunch provided, but in order that TRLC be adequately prepared reservations are required by July 15. To make reservations please call (713) 782-5433; e-mail to txprolife@infohwy.com; or fax to (713) 952-2041.

All are invited and urged to attend. An effective lobbying effort on the part of informed constituents will be the weapon with which involuntary euthanasia will be defeated in the coming Texas legislative session and elsewhere around the country.

Monica Hatcher is public relations coordinator for Texas Right to Life Committee, Inc.