Newsletter

Gearing up for a New Legislature
by Leesa Stevens. AZELO, Legislative Advocacy Lead

As the 2022 midterm election season starts to heat up here in Arizona, we now have about 250 state legislative candidates that have survived the challenge process and have started campaigning in earnest. Our goal at AZELO is to 1) determine if each candidate is supportive of MAID, and if not, why, 2) provide factual information on medical aid in dying and answer any questions they might have, and 3) ask them for their support. We also cannot forget the governor's race, the winner of which would be signing our bill into law should it pass through the Arizona legislature next January.

I have put together a small task force to help me with the above goals and our first project has been to attend the Clean Elections debates which are open to the public via the internet as they are held remotely. This series of debates started in mid-May and will continue until early July. The Citizens Clean  Elections Commission is a non-partisan commission created by voters, which provides campaign funding, and enforces campaign finance rules and laws. Clean Elections was founded in 1998 after Arizona voters passed the Citizens Clean Elections Act to root out corruption and promote confidence in our political process. We have the opportunity to submit questions to be asked during the debate and each AZELO team member has been tasked with submitting different MAID questions to their assigned districts. We hope to submit questions to most of the 30 legislative districts participating. 

Inexplicably, not all candidates were invited to participate in the Clean Elections debates, and of those invited, about one-third actually attend. It is a great opportunity for those new to campaigning for state government offices to gain some name recognition and get their ideas out there. Most incumbents (those already in office and running for reelection) do not participate unless their district race is a hotly contested one. Due to the recent redistricting, there are a few incumbent races that should prove to be interesting.

The debates are available to listen to in real-time most evenings starting at 6:00 p.m. or by tape replay a few days later. If you are interested in submitting a question or listening to the debates here is the link:

https://www.azcleanelections.gov/arizona-elections/debate-information

I look forward to sharing some results with you and our next steps in the July newsletter.

MAID News Around the US
by Dwight Moore, Mary Ganapol, and Marie MacWhyte, AZELO Volunteers

Currently, it is estimated that 14 states have active campaigns in place to pass medical aid in dying bills. Here are a few of the most active and where they stand as of today, June 1, 2022:

A year ago on June 10, 2021, the New York Legislature adjourned without advancing the Medical Aid in Dying Act that was under consideration and was carried over into the 2022 legislative session. This year, on April 25, the New York State Academy of Family Physicians (NYSAFP) released an updated statement of support for the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act, and two days later, supporters gathered in Albany for a rally and candle lighting tribute urging lawmakers to pass the New York Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.4321A/ S.6471).

The Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act (H6600 and S211), were reintroduced in the Rhode Island State House and Senate, respectively, in January 2022. H6600 was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, April 7, 2022, and recommended to be held for further study, so once again, no action was taken.

On March 14, 2022, the Massachusetts End of Life Options Act (H.2381/S.1384), which would authorize medical aid in dying, was reported upon favorably by the Joint Committee on Public Health. Ten days later the Senate bill was referred to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. Then, last month In May, new polling was released from Suffolk University/The Boston Globe showing a record 77% support among Massachusetts residents for medical aid-in-dying legislation, including majorities across the Commonwealth's regional, political and racial spectrum.

Thanks to the tireless work of dedicated Compassion & Choices supporters and volunteers, on January 24, 2022, HB 1823 was filed in Hawaii’s State House of Representatives. This bill would make crucial amendments to the Our Care, Our Choice Act to improve access – allowing advanced practice nurse practitioners and physician assistants to serve as prescribing or consulting providers, and reducing the waiting period as Hawaii’s is the longest in the nation at 20 days. Unfortunately, despite passing the entire House, the entire Senate, and six major committees, the bill failed in the conference committee on April 28. 

What do these states have in common with Arizona's efforts to pass Medical Aid in Dying legislation? Although public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of it, legislators across the US are reluctant to even consider legislation that would give terminally ill patients the right to decide when and how they will die. We all must make our voices heard by talking to our family members, our friends, and our legislators about death and dying. Each time we witness a bad death, we should view it in terms of how it might have been different in a healthy society. A society that values a terminally ill person's right to call it quits when they (not their doctor, their clergy, nor their government) decide they have had enough.