Senate Health Committee Reluctantly Releases A2270/S382 from Committee

Significant concerns cited by Senators‏

from Marie Tasy, Executive Director 

New Jersey Right to Life 

Yesterday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a second hearing on A2270/S382, the Physician Assisted Suicide bill.  The bill was released from committee by a vote of 5-3. 

The Chair, Senator Joseph Vitale allowed everyone who attended the chance to testify.  The committee was respectful and attentive to all the witnesses, although there was a time limit imposed because of the vast number who came out to testify in opposition. The testimony in opposition included, but was not limited to, four physicians, (Dr. Alieta Eck,  Dr. Ana Gomes, Dr. Matthew Suh and Dr. May Jen Apiado), many members of the Disability Community, including Not Dead Yet and Second Thoughts, Nurses (including hospice nurses), New Jersey Right to Life, Christian Pastors, Jewish leaders and individuals who were battling illness and disease but who were adamantly opposed to the bill.  

Witnesses testifying in opposition overwhelmingly outnumbered witnesses in favor. The bill was released without recommendation which means that members voted to release but reserve their right to change their vote when it comes before the full Senate. Voting to release the bill from committee:  Senators Vitale (D-19), Gordon (D-38), Whelan (D-2)), Codey (D-27) and Addiego ( R-8 ). Voting No to release the bill:  Senator Madden (D-4), Senator Rice (D-28), Senator Singer ( R-30 ).  One Republican Senator, Diane Allen (R-7) was absent and did not vote. Among the Democrats who voted to release the bill from committee, Senators Vitale (D-19) and Gordon (D-38)  publicly stated they would vote No when the bill comes before the full Senate.

Because A2270/S382 was  released from committee, it can be scheduled for a vote before the full Senate at any time.  According to an updated article on www.nj.com, the bill will not be scheduled for a vote on December 18; however, Senator Sweeney, the sponsor, has said he will embark on an "educational campaign" to discuss the matter with his colleagues.   Therefore, this is no time to be complacent.  

At this time, we recommend the following action:  Email and call all 40 Senators and urge them to vote NO on A2270/S382. You can send an email and obtain talking points here (Once you go to the link, scroll down on the page to view talking points.) P:lease feel free to modify these talking points and use your own personal experiences to convince Senators to Vote No.  

Senators' email addresses are below:  Governor Christie should also be contacted and urged to veto the bill.  Call the Governor at 609 292 -6000. Email the Governor here.

NJ Senators

SenAddiego@njleg.org

SenAllen@njleg.org

SenBarnes@njleg.org

SenBateman@njleg.org

SenBeach@njleg.org

SenBeck@njleg.org

SenBucco@njleg.org

SenCardinale@njleg.org

SenCodey@njleg.org

SenConnors@njleg.org

SenCruzPerez@njleg.org

SenCunningham@njleg.org

SenDoherty@njleg.org

SenGill@njleg.org

SenGordon@njleg.org

SenGreenstein@njleg.org

SenHolzapfel@njleg.org

SenKean@njleg.org

SenKyrillos@njleg.org

SenLesniak@njleg.org

SenMadden@njleg.org

SenOroho@njleg.org

SenOToole@njleg.org

SenPennacchio@njleg.org

SenPou@njleg.org

SenRice@njleg.org

SenRuiz@njleg.org

SenSacco@njleg.org

SenSarlo@njleg.org

SenScutari@njleg.org

SenSinger@njleg.org

SenSmith@njleg.org

SenStack@njleg.org

SenSweeney@njleg.org

SenThompson@njleg.org

SenTurner@njleg.org

SenVanDrew@njleg.org

SenVitale@njleg.org

SenWeinberg@njleg.org

SenWhelan@njleg.org

We wish to thank everyone who has joined our efforts to stop this terribly misguided bill. Please continue to share these alerts with like minded friends and family.    Our work is far from over!

See How Your 2 Assembly Members Voted on The Physician Assisted Suicide Bill, A2270

Action Needed to Defeat it in the Senate!

The Physician Assisted Bill (A2270) passed the NJ Assembly on November 13 by a vote of 41-31.

The vote tally is listed below.The bill now moves to the State Senate.

Action Still Needed to Defeat A2270/S382:

Please Contact your State Senator and urge them to Vote No on A2270/S382, then call and email Governor Christie and urge him to Veto A2270/S382 if it reaches his desk.  Please contact your State Senator and Governor Christie  by going to our Legislative Action Center here

News on the Assembly Vote: 

NJ Assembly Democrat leadership, which includes Speaker Vincent Prieto, and Asm. John Burzichelli, the bill’s sponsor, have continually pulled every dishonest trick in the book with the last minute scheduling of hearings and voting sessions on A2270.  To say this has been a fair and open process would be a bald-faced lie and their shameful actions during this entire legislative process fly in the face of fairness, ethics, leadership and good governance.   The latest chicanery occurred with this November 13 vote.  After 5:00 p.m. on Monday (11/10), Assembly Democrat leaders, Speaker Vincent Prieto and Asm. John Burzichelli, ( who is the sponsor of A2270, and others in the Democratic leadership), quietly added A2270 to the voting schedule board for November 13th.  Why is this noteworthy?  Because the next day was Tuesday November 11th, Veterans Day and state offices were closed so no phone calls to Assembly members offices could be received until Wednesday morning

NJ citizens need to know how these folks operate and act accordingly at election time.  Remember, everything they do affects our lives and future generations.

Use this link to see  the November 13 Assembly Vote tally on A2270.

Assisted Suicide Bill Riddled with Flaws

fNote: Our latest op-ed on the NJ Physician Assisted Suicide bill was published in today's Asbury Park Press.  Below is a short excerpt from the op-ed.  Please read the excerpt below, then go to our newly designed website to read the rest of this op-ed and then take action to oppose this terribly misguided bill.  The group that is pushing this bill in NJ, Compassion and Choices, are using the tragic case of Brittany Maynard to drum up support for the Assembly to schedule A2270 for a vote this fall so please continue to contact your legislators and tell them to Vote No.

by Marie Tasy, Executive Director
New Jersey Right to Life

Published in the Asbury Park Press, 10/17/2014

The Sept. 28 Asbury Park Press editorial, “Offer choice, mercy to terminally ill,” attempts to make the case for the Legislature to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Its position originates from the mistaken notion that the legislation contains adequate “safeguards and precautions.” Sponsors’ numerous attempts to amend the bill and change its title to try to make it sound more appealing have done nothing to mitigate the actual dangers present in the bill.

In reality, the “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act” is riddled with loopholes and contradictions that place the lives of the very people it purports to empower at grave risk of abuse and coercion. More

Please take immediate action to OPPOSE Bill A2270, which will legalize physician assisted suicide in our state. Click here to tell your legislators to vote NO and get more information! Sponsors are pushing for a vote this fall in the Assembly! 

Take Action on New Jersey's Assisted Suicide Bill ( A2270/S382)

Marie Tasy, Executive Director

New Jersey Right to Life

On June 5, the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee held a hearing on A2270/S382.  Despite the powerful witnesses who testified against the bill and vastly outnumbered those who testified in favor of the bill, it was released from committee by an 8-4 vote.   All Democrats voted for it and all Republicans voted against it.

The committee amended the bill as follows:  (1) they changed the name to the NJ Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act and (2) removed the referendum language which means, if passed, it will no longer be a ballot question for the voters to decide at election time. However, in order to become law, the Act will still have to pass both houses of the legislature and go to the Governor for his approval.   Since the bill was released from committee, the bill can now be scheduled for a vote at any time in the full Assembly. The sponsor of the bill has said that he is “reasonably optimistic” that the bill will be scheduled for a vote before the full Assembly before the end of June.  Time is of the essence!  Please take action immediately to oppose this bill!

 

The Bill will legalize physician assisted suicide in NJ.  Last session, Bill A3328 was released from the Assembly Health Committee in February 2013. 

 

Here is a recent TV news clip regarding the bill.

 TAKE ACTION NOW

 

Please do the following:  

1.       Please phone and email your 2 Assembly Members and State Senator and urge them to

vote no on S382/A2270. If you do not know who your legislators are, please call the Office of

Legislative Services at 1-800-792-8630 during regular business hours to request this information or

go to the legislative website.

   

Please also write and call Governor Christie at 609 292 6000 and urge him to veto this legislation if

it reaches his desk. 

You can email the Governor by clicking on this link. From the drop-down menu, select  "health,"

then select "hospital issues" from the subtopic menu.

 

You can also send a pre-written message to your legislators and the Governor if you

like by going to the Legislative Action tab on our website using this link,  or you can contact them

directly. 

2.      Vote No in the polls linked below.

Poll 1 - http://www.nj.com/politics 

Poll 2 - http://nj1015.com/end-of-life-bill-advances-in-nj-audio/

 

3. Pass this information on to 10 people you know who will do the same.