“Count Us In” Pledge: Palliative Care and Services over Physician-Assisted Suicide

More than 40 organizations and individuals have signed the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention’s “Count Us In” Pledge, which advocates for improving funding for and access to services for individuals living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and against HB1283, a physician-assisted suicide bill before the state’s Judiciary Committee.  Those who oppose HB1283 online outnumbered those who support it by nearly a 2 to 1 margin:  1125 to 678.

“Call it physician-assisted suicide (PAS), Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) or End-of-Life Options – HB1283 normalizes suicide as an acceptable option for ending your life,” says Steve Wade, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of NH and member of the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention.  “It sends the wrong message to all those vulnerable to suicide.  We want the state to help people live, not steer them towards death.”    The pledge promotes a “help-seeking” culture and discourages any legislation that promotes ableism or discrimination against people with disabilities.

There is concern among veterans, people with disabilities and others vulnerable to suicide that HB1283, if passed, opens the door in a dangerous way– as evidenced by expansions in other U.S. states and Canada, where ALS, MS and even mental health conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease are candidates for PAS.

According to the Patients Rights Action Fund, life-ending drugs prescribed by a physician could cost as little as $300 – compared to more costly treatments for those with long-term health conditions.  

 “New Hampshire is already facing a health equity crisis, and legalizing assisted suicide would exacerbate it.  Disabled people have been sounding the alarm on this issue all over the country for years, and our concerns are more well founded now than ever before in an increasingly profit-driven health care system where many lack access to appropriate care," says Jules Good, disability policy profession.

Organizations who have signed the “Count Us In” pledge include the Brain Injury Association of NH, SVAC (State Veterans Advisory Council), the NH Hospital Association, Not Dead Yet, United Spinal Association, Patients Rights Action Fund, Strategies for Disability Equity LLC, Disability Rights Center – NH, MOAA (Military Officers Association of America), Catholic War Veterans, the Diocese of Manchester, UNH Students for Life, St. Joseph Hospital and Catholic Memorial Center (CMC). 

The pledge can be found in the Take Action section of the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention website: Take Action — NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention (zerosuicidesnh.org). 

For more information about the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention, visit www.zerosuicidesnh.org.