Good Day,
It can be daunting some days simply to turn on the news. This is why I quit watching mainstream media during the Obama years. It seems like ancient history when I stood at the White House protesting “Obama Care.” The fabricated lie of government mandated affordable healthcare for all was the sugar candy leading many, the prey, into the hands of the devouring federal government so they, the government, could determine who lives and who dies. They, the government, determines the “value, quality and quantity” of life.
Many did not read the Affordable Care Act because as Nancy Pelosi stated, “we have to pass it in order to know what is in it.”
Hidden deep within the thousands of pages of the Affordable Care Act in Section 1553, we find, “the Federal Government, and any state or local government or health care provider that receives federal financial assistance under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) or any health plan created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act), may not discriminate against an individual or institutional health care entity because the entity does not provide any health care item or service that causes, or assists in causing, the death of any individual, such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing.”
Translation: The protection provided in section 1553 is for those who choose not to participate in the killing of other human beings. This is to assume that the majority of physicians, or “healthcare providers” will participate in physician assisted murder, euthanasia or the evasive words of Medical Assistance in Dying. This is the healthcare of 2024 that was practiced during covid (and before) when patients were left to die alone, without family and friends, without religious rights, without treatment.
During the height of covid, when patients were at their most vulnerable, they were manipulated by some physicians and others within the healthcare system to sign Do Not Resuscitate orders. They were often febrile, weak, exhausted and frightened. Many, I am sure were not competent to make that decision. They were asked about whether or not they wanted to be a burden to their families. This was and continues to be sadistic manipulation provided to many with chronic or terminal illness. This is the language of those advocate for Medical Assistance in Dying.
I wish to counter this. Dying, suffering, death are part of life. Throughout our lives we face suffering. We face the deaths of our loved ones, friends and families. We face losses in our own lives. We face illness in all its nuances. We face pain. We face fear. To live and to love is to experience and commit to life and embrace it, despite all its risks. We find in the depth of these moments, what some may feel is a frightening leap of faith, to choose life and love is a transformative power that provides meaning and a depth of love we could never imagine.
Physicians and those healthcare workers in palliative care are witness to the transforming power of the end of life. They have witnessed moments of tenderness, compassion, warmth, forgiveness and brokenness. Death is not without pain but suicide is not without pain. We know from decades of studies that the families of those who die from suicide are left with a deeper burden and more scars than one can imagine. The unresolved questions haunt the survivors.
Medical Assistance is Dying is not a present tied with a bow to help a loved one over a hurdle. It is a lie. It is to deny the importance of God. It is to deny that we are called upon to act humbly in this sacred moment in life, to be present with someone as they die. We are called to help bear the burden of their suffering and fear as we face our own suffering and fear at letting them go. We are called to offer them love, comfort, peace and forgiveness.
In my own journey, while I sobbed at my brother’s bedside and prayed for his healing, I would have given anything for him to opened his eyes once more. I will never trade that pain. The tears continue to flow when I recall his goodness and selflessness. The tears flow for the countless families and patients who died alone because of the sadistic practices of hospitals and physicians that participated in the denial of treatment and care.
My brother never wanted to be a burden, but I never saw the long days at the hospital as a burden. They were a sacrifice I was willing to make. They were a sacrifice most are willing to make. Yes, I understand that the road may be long for many people, however, this does not entitle us to shorten the road for convenience. There is purpose to every day. Though there are days when we fail to see the purpose, it does not mean that purpose does not exist. To not see the meaning of death, is to fail to see the meaning of life. We are not just a single cog whose value and meaning is lost with our last breathe. We are part of tapestry of life and though we may never see the interconnectedness of the lives we have touched and the decisions we have made for good and for bad, we remain of sacred value.
Virginia SB280, Medical Assistance in Dying, passed along party lines 21-19. HB 858 will be voted on today Feb. 13 and may pass. Please continue to pressure all delegates to vote NO on this legislation that will further destroy the professional practice of medicine. This bill will further erode the hearts and souls of physicians who choose to participate in this blasphemous practice and their ability to care and “do no harm” to the other patients under their watch. The physician in his mind and heart may feel protected and isolated from the moment of death. They are the prescriber of the little “blue pill.” They do not have to witness the death, but they are the source and cause of this death. This bill will delude patients and physicians that they have the power to choose the time and manner of their death. Death by physician assisted murder should never be supported. Always be leery of the power you may possess, it is the same power that others may use against you.
Please contact Governor Glenn Youngkin tell him to veto this legislation if passed. 804-786-2211.
Respectfully,
Sheila M. Furey, MD