Patients Rights Action Fund Update

Per the Patients Rights Action Fund, HF 533 has been declared dead for the season and will not carry over to the new year.  HF 612 and SF 2101 have been introduced for 2024.

Euthanasia Bills Still in Committee

The Legislature is back in Session.

Per the Iowa legislative website, bills seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, as traditionally defined (HF 2302 and SF 2156) have not been heard and/or moved out of committee.

Time will tell.

Legislative Session to Resume June 3rd

Senator Whtiver

Ian Richardson, Des Moines Register

Iowa lawmakers plan to resume the legislative session June 3 after pausing for more than two months because of the spread of the coronavirus, Republican legislative leadership announced Monday.

“Suspending the legislative session was necessary to ensure Iowa’s health care infrastructure was not overwhelmed,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said in a news release. “It is now time for the Senate to resume its constitutional duty to represent the people of Iowa, implement policy priorities and pass a conservative budget to fund the necessary functions of government.”

Euthanasia Bills Introduced

On February 5, 2020, SF 2156, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Judiciary Committee.  The next day, February 6, 2020, the bill was referred to a three person subcommittee, consisting of Senators Chapman, Schultz and Taylor, R. To view the bill's text, click here.

On February 10, 2020, a companion bill, HF 2302, was introduced in the House and referred to the Human Resources Committee. To view the bill's text, click here.

The "Slippery Slope" Is Real

The question of suicide facilitated by medical professionals, physician assisted suicide (PAS), has garnered a great deal of interest on this editorial page. While many of us have poignant stories to tell, anecdotes do not suffice when debating such crucial matters for society.

In the past, Editorial Page Editor Mr. Jon Alexander has rightly advocated for the importance of research in public policy. However, he seems to have set aside his own advice in this case. A careful look at the data from around the world would have revealed that, far from being a “red herring,” the “slippery slope” argument is based not on irrational fear, but on solid information.