Powerful State Senator Leads Push to Legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide in Vermont

By Mary Hahn Beerworth
Executive Director, Vermont Right to Life

The first serious push to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Vermont has begun. Chittenden County State Senator Virginia "Ginny" Lyons (D) is the lead sponsor of Senate Bill S.112, a so-called "Death With Dignity Act." Lyons is also a member of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to which S. 112 has been assigned.

Senator Lyons debated and defended her position in favor of doctor-assisted suicide in a debate on Vermont Public Radio and on the public access program Point-Counterpoint. Senator Lyons remains unmoved by the overwhelming evidence that physician-assisted suicide will ultimately lead to abuse of the elderly, the terminally ill, people with disabilities, and others who are vulnerable.

Lyons remains steadfast even in the face of extraordinary opposition from the medical community, including the American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, British Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Society of Internal Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, National Hospice Organization, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, and the Vermont Medical Society (1997).

There is also one additional opponent - - the newly formed Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare (VAEH), comprised of Vermont physicians and other professionals who are concerned about the so-called "Death With Dignity" legislation. Dr. Robert Orr, M.D., the president of VAEH, has been an outspoken opponent of assisted suicide and national expert on end-of-life issues.

The South Burlington-based group sponsored a legislative luncheon at the Capital Plaza in Montpelier recently, and Dr. Orr gave a presentation he called "Death With Dignity, Promise or Peril."

According to Dr. Orr, "Enactment of [so-called "Death With Dignity"] legislation would allow Vermont physicians to provide lethal prescriptions at the request of terminally ill patients and would drastically change a 2,500-year tradition in western medicine and in common and statutory law. Physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician's role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks. This sea change should not be undertaken without diligent research and a clear understanding of the experience in other jurisdictions."

Over 70 legislators attended the luncheon.

Meanwhile, the Vermont Right to Life Committee (VRLC) is spearheading a statewide effort to gather signatures in opposition to efforts by the national Hemlock Society and others who are targeting Vermont for passage of a law that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide.

The petitions will be featured in pro-life booths at each of the county-wide fairs throughout the summer. VRLC will also send petitions to churches for signatures in the month of October and will present the signatures to key members of the legislature.

The language on the petition reads as follows:

"A well-organized effort is being made to get doctor-assisted suicide legalized in Vermont. This threatens our most vulnerable fellow citizens, who need loving counseling, good pain relief, and care, not to be killed when they cry for help. Please sign this petition urging the Vermont legislature to vote down any legalization of assisted suicide."