Burchett/3 Senator Knapp

!
A BILL

S.B._____

To withhold 25% of medicaid funding from any state which fails to enact an assisted suicide law with certain
provisions by January 1, 2017.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,

!SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This act may be cited as the Right To Die Act of 2015.
!SECTION
2. FINDINGS

Congress hereby finds and declares that,

1) In two out of three scenarios deaths are painful, prolonged, and involve medical technology.
2) Assisted suicide is already legal in four states: Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, also in Bernalillo
County, New Mexico.
3) In November 2008, Washingtons Death with Dignity Act is passed with a vote of 57.91% in favor, and went into
effect the next year.
4) In December 2009 the Montana Supreme Court ruled in the case Baxter v. Montana that the Rights of the
Terminally Ill Act protects a physician from liability if they assist in a competent patients decision to end their life.
5) 57% of practicing physicians have been asked for physician-assisted suicide.
6) In a report from the United States Health Division, it was stated that patients who requested physician assisted
suicide cited social and psychological reasoning, they did not have uncontrolled pain.
7) In the state of Oregon, only 673 patients from the years 1997 to 2012 were prescribed lethal injections for a
requested physician-assisted suicide.

!SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE

A) The Right to Die Act of 2015 shall withhold 25% of medicaid funding from any state which does not develop a
law allowing assisted suicide. This law must follow the following guidelines:
1. The assisted suicide law shall allow a coherent human over the age of 18 with a terminal illness to choose
to end their life.
2. The patients life must be predicted to end within the next 6 months, with the opinion of 2 or more medical
professionals.
3. The physician must suggest that the patient notify their next of kin or a close family member of their
decision.
4. The patient must be given a session of counseling to determine that their decision is not impaired by a
mental illness, including but not limited to, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
5. A oral request made to a personal physician and a written request to end their life in a dignified manner
must be written and signed by the patient before the request can be put into action.
B) This law is to be enforced by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
C) The Right to Die Act shall be enacted on January 1, 20017

Press Release
The fundamental rights of citizens of The United States of America include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All rights of
Americans are given and allowed to be declined, such as having the freedom of speech and deciding not to talk. The last few months of a
persons life can be brutal, many want their pain to end even if it means ending their life. Many spend the last few months in a hospital, sad,
lonely, and feeling like they contribute nothing to the world anymore. A law to allow ending a terminally ill patients life with a request from the
patient and physicians assistance should be enacted by all states to lower costs by families, give patients a dignified end to their lives, and stop
consistent mental and physical pain for the patient.
Nobody want to live any part of their life in pain or feeling like a huge burden on loved ones. In two out of three scenarios deaths are
painful, prolonged, and involve medical technology. A terminally ill patient is commonly in unbearable psychological place and feel that they are
in a bad social standing; they are completely miserable for the last few months, or more, of their life. They become bitter due to their own
knowledge that their life will end at any moment, and they cannot stop it or do anything to make it less awful. 57% of practicing physicians have
been asked for physician-assisted suicide. A majority of physicians practicing have dealt with one or more patients who have become so
desperate as to end their own life to get ride of the pain. There can be nothing more miserable than feeling like you hold no impact anymore and
that you are only a burden to those taking care of you and paying for your treatment. The sheer amount of people who have requested ending
their life over continuing to live in a painful and prolonged life is monumental to the assisted suicide law being passed. Even those who have
always loved life and made the best of where they are can turn to this because they believe the torture they were in and the fact that they are no
longer making a positive impact can turn to assisted suicide. The ones who can turn this far away from loving life due to the pain and guilt that
they feel obviously have a legitimate reason. These patients are still completely capable mentally, but can be at a point where they realize,
logically, that their existence no longer can bring a positive impact to the lives around them. Being mentally fine, patients are able to come to a
conclusion that they should be euthanized, if they make a desperate request to do this, it should be able to be acted upon. Assisted suicide is an
act of compassion toward those in miserable conditions, it is acting upon their civil and personal liberty. Family surrounding a victim of some
terminal illness who is begging to have their life ended, feel helpless in this situation, and as it stands in many states, they are. However, when
someone has seen a relentless plea to have their own life ended, it becomes a compassion to end that life. In many states this is considered a
felony. While in four other states it has become legal to have compassion on a patient and let them end their own lives. The patient will receive a
peace of mind when they have assurance that they will no longer be a burden on the people around them and that they will soon be out of their
misery. Often when a family becomes greatly in distress after a loved one dies or commits suicide, it is unexpected and there is not a obvious
reason why. When assisted suicide becomes an option, the family will be able to know exactly what happened and why, although they will most
likely still be upset, they will have an option for closure.
A few states across the United States have already enacted a law legalizing physician-assisted suicide with certain guidelines, this shows
it has large support in these areas and that many people are willing to allow this law to be enacted. Assisted suicide is already legal in four states:
Montana, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, also in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. These states have been through trials and a voting process
already and have had the majority of their population vote in favor of the assisted suicide law being enacted. This law has already been widely
accepted and states will grow more accustomed to it when it becomes legal due to the Right to Die Act. In the state of Oregon, the small number
of 673 patients from the years 1997 to 2012 were prescribed lethal injections for a requested physician-assisted suicide. The legality of a certain
action does not necessarily mean the number of people who act upon the new freedom will grow to huge numbers; many people were acting
upon their urge to end their life in a much more illegal or unpleasant way. The ability to end your life when you have reached certain limitations
does not mean you have to act on this, it simply gives the freedom to others who believe their life will not benefit any others anymore. Laws in
other states which have made assisted suicide legal have put strict qualificationssuch as being an adult, capable, counseling, and otherson
those which request this service. Being capable means that they have logical reasons for their request and do not have any mental disability
which could affect the reasons for an assisted suicide. In Montana there was a trial called Baxter v. State of Montana, this court case settled with a
new law placed by the state of Montana to allow assisted suicide for patients, finding it constitutional. There is no way to find this law
unconstitutional as we have a right to life which also gives us a right to end our own lives.
A fundamental right to living in The United States is to have choice, how one lives or ends their life should be up to that person. About
three out of four Americans agreed that: Individuals who are terminally ill, in great pain and who have no chance for recovery, have the right to
choose to end their own life. This is a choice that people should be more commonly allowed to make. They have rights to life; and they should
have a right to decline that right. Such as the right to free speech, just because all humans in America have that right, that does not mean that they
must talk. Physicians and healthcare systems are not obligated to participate in the Death with Dignity laws. This section of the new law protects
people who want to be physicians and care for their patients, but are completely set against allowing another human to end their life before it
would have without interference. The ability to use this law or refrain from using this law should be in our rights as Americans.
Terminally ill patients with certain qualifications that prove that their quality of life has become too painful, mentally straining, and no
longer impactful, should be allowed to end their life under their own jurisdiction. Many want to end their life in a dignified way, and see that
assisted suicide is the only way for that to happen when they have become extremely ill. It is in the right to life for patients to be able to end their
life in the fashion that they believe will let them be the most dignified that they can be at the end of their life.