Saturday, November 3, 2012
Find out what your vote on Question 2 will mean.
On Nov. 6, Massachusetts voters will be asked to vote on three questions along with the state and federal political races. Question 2 is regarding whether doctors should be allowed to prescribe medication to end life. "This proposed law would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient’s request, to end that patient’s life," the Massachusetts Secretary of State's website says. According to the website a "yes" vote would allow for the prescription of life-ending medication. A "no" vote would make no change to the current law and keep the practice illegal. State Rep. Ed Coppinger has stated he opposes Question 2.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A physician would not be required to be present when a patient takes the pill, leaving him or her vulnerable to complications and injury not resulting in death.
State Rep. Ed Coppinger said he is opposed to Massachusetts ballot Question 2, which if passed would legalize physician-assisted suicide in the Commonwealth on January 1, 2013. Coppinger said Question 2 is deeply flawed and lacks critical safeguards for protecting patients. “The ballot question does not require patients who want a lethal prescription to receive a mental health evaluation first. We know from the data that many terminal patients are clinically depressed,” said Coppinger via press release. Coppinger said he specifically wanted to offer his opinion on Question 2 (as there are three state ballot questions), "I think people believe it is an assisted suicide question but my concern here is that no doctor is present - the …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Votes will be asked in the November election to vote on Question 2, which if passed, would allow physicians to prescribe medicine to end a terminally ill patient's life.
As part of the November election, voters will have a chance to move in favor or against a question regarding medication for terminally ill patients. The proposed law would allow a physician licensed in Massachusetts to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient’s request, to end that patient’s life, according to Secretary of State William F. Galvin's website. To qualify, a patient would have to be an adult resident who is determined, medically, to be mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions; be diagnosed by attending and consulting physicians as having an incurable, irreversible disease that will, within reasonable medical judgment, cause death within six months; and voluntarily expresses a wish to die and …
Rob2013
5:54 pm on Friday, October 26, 2012
Rep. Coppinger: Good list of flaws in Question 2. Especially, "Patients could obtain a lethal prescription without talking to hospice and palliative care professionals." This is one of the problems with a measure that goes direct to the ballot box without being reviewed via the legislative process. The flaws don't get removed. more ›