Commentary By
Monica Burke @MonicaGBurke
Monica Burke is a research assistant in the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation.
In becoming the ninth jurisdiction to legalize physician-assisted suicide, New Jersey has unleashed a Pandora’s box on its residents—and the poor, weak, and disabled will suffer the most.
The Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act was signed into law by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, after it narrowly cleared both chambers of the state Legislature.
As of Aug. 1, 2019, terminally ill patients with a prognosis of six months or fewer will now be able to self-administer lethal concoctions of drugs in order to take their own lives.
Murphy claimed in a statement that this bill would “[provide] terminally ill patients and their families with the humanity, dignity, and respect that they so richly deserve at the most difficult times any of us will face.”
This could not be further from the truth.
Physician-assisted suicide directly attacks human dignity; it is anything but compassionate.
Death is neither a solution nor a treatment for human suffering. Once we accept suicide as therapeutic, who qualifies for treatment becomes a moving target.
When a country legalizes physician-assisted suicide, it is only a matter of time before the government expands who will receive suicide assistance instead of suicide prevention.
Physician-Assisted Suicide Comes to New Jersey. Here’s Why It’s Badly Misguided.
There Are Hidden Threats to All Lives in Assisted Suicide Laws
