Protecting The Vulnerable From Physician-Assisted Suicide Legislation

Physician-Assisted Suicide Legislation Is Counterproductive to Suicide Prevention Goals

New Hampshire has a suicide crisis and has set an ambitious goal of “Zero Suicide”.   To work towards this goal, the NH Suicide Prevention Council was established to promote awareness that suicide is a preventable public health problem. (State Suicide Prevention Council | Bureau of Community Health Services | New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (nh.gov). So why would New Hampshire ever entertain physician-assisted suicide legislation that would fly in the face of this Zero Suicide goal?  Of particular concern are NH’s vulnerable populations, including Veterans, teens, people with disabilities, brain injury survivors, and the elderly, who are pre-disposed to suicide for many reasons including depression, lack of autonomy, and inability to engage in activities that make life enjoyable.

The exploitation of the elderly is another significant problem in New Hampshire. A physician-assisted suicide bill could enable exploiters to misuse the law to the detriment of those dependent on others for their care. Anyone with ulterior motives, like convenience and cost, would have the power to steer vulnerable members of our society — who are not necessarily dying — in the direction of death instead of care. 

We live in a “throwaway society” – but in truth, we should be striving to create the “help-seeking culture” that the Veterans organizations so strongly promote. Would it not make sense to invest in greatly expanded access to palliative care and mental health services for those at-risk populations relying on the state for their care instead of making it easier for vulnerable populations to commit suicide?

If we want to show that we value the lives of at-risk teens, the elderly, people with disabilities, and veterans who have fought for our country, NH will not consider physician-assisted suicide legislation like HB 1659 Bill Text: NH HB1659 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced | LegiScan in the future. Let’s put our energy into preventing all suicides in NH.

Steven Wade is executive director of the Brain Injury Association of NH and a member of the New Hampshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention.