Oregon Euthanasia Activists Empty Coffers to Pass Washington State Assisted Suicide Bill

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08092411.html

[LifeSiteNews] 25 Sep 2008--he Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund is pulling out all the financial stops to push the passage of Washington State's "death with dignity" ballot initiative this November. The group has promised to match all donations to the "Yes on 1000" campaign in Washington State up to $1 million. The funds will go to create a media campaign with television spots promoting the message of "safe" doctor-assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg executive director of Canada's Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, has asked supporters to donate to the Washington Coalition Against Assisted Suicide to help counter the pro-euthanasia advertising campaign.

"We cannot allow the euthanasia lobby to brainwash the public by running television commercials without a counter-point-of-view," he said in an email. Anti-euthanasia campaigners fear that should the Washington state initiative pass, there will be a "wild-fire response" of other state initiatives to legalize assisted suicide "everywhere."

Initiative 1000 would legalize assisted suicide, permitting a doctor to give a lethal overdose to a patient if the doctor feels that the patient is likely to die within six months.

In their appeal for funds to promote the message of euthanasia, Oregon Death with Dignity said they have thus far "experienced phenomenal success." "Every piece of the campaign has fallen into place, and we are on the brink of victory on November 4."

Pressure is increasing on disabled people and the terminally ill to commit suicide, particularly with the rationing of health care services in nationalised health systems. In the UK recently, Baroness Helen Warnock, Britain's most prominent moral philosopher, said that people with severe disabilities have a "duty" to commit suicide to reduce the strain on the publicly funded health system and the burden on families.