Edited to add second Senate session date.
HB 1283-FN, New Hampshire’s assisted suicide bill, is scheduled to go to the Senate floor on May 15 or 16 after the Judiciary Committee recommended on a 3-2 vote that the bill be sent to interim study. If the Senate adopts that report, assisted suicide will have no chance of being legalized this year.
I’ll be asking my senator to kill the bill by any means available. A straight “inexpedient to legislate” (ITL) recommendation from the committee would have been good to see, but interim study would achieve the same result.
What does “interim study” mean?
With interim study, a legislative subcommittee would meet in the fall to have one or more “study” sessions. The committee would then file a report on whether or not they recommend future legislation on the same topic.
We all know that whatever an interim study committee says, there will be more assisted suicide legislation down the road if HB 1283 fails. Its advocates won’t quit. Neither will I.
Unlike legislation in many other states, a New Hampshire bill can’t be killed in committee. The committee’s vote is only a recommendation to the full chamber (in this case, the Senate).
Next step: contact your senator
You can contact your senator anytime between now and the day of the vote to ask for a vote to kill HB 1283-FN. That could be either an ITL or Interim Study motion. The important point: kill the bill. Make your opposition to assisted suicide very clear.
I’ll be sending out a newsletter to subscribers a few days before the vote as a reminder. I hope calls and messages to senators are starting already, building to a flood of courteous and clear messages right before the vote.
I usually recommend brief messages. I still do. If you have a story or personal concern about treating assisted suicide as public policy or medical treatment, though, put it in writing or create a short video to share with your senator. Personal stories, not party affiliation, will be critical in determining how the vote goes on this bill.
If I hear of any rescheduling of the vote, I’ll post that to the blog’s Facebook page immediately.
Resources
These points bear repeating:
- HB 1283-FN relies on dishonest language that doesn’t belong in New Hampshire law, since the bill does not recognize the direct intentional taking of one’s own life as “suicide.”
- It would turn suicide into a form of medical care, giving insurers and other third-party payers an incentive to favor it over authentic care, which is likely to be more expensive.
- It reinforces an attitude of “better dead than disabled.”
- It undermines suicide prevention outreach to vulnerable individuals.
The New Hampshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention (zerosuicidesnh.org) is a broad coalition of New Hampshire residents and organizations. Their blog is thought-provoking, and one post in particular summarizes their view of HB 1283: “Advocate for Suicide Prevention and Palliative Care, Not End-of-Life Options.“
Worth looking for: Cornerstone Action has posted a number of reels and links on their Instagram/Facebook pages from New Hampshire residents testifying against the bill from various perspectives.
Header image: pexels.com
Leaven for the Loaf 