Lessons learned from recent successes and failures against assisted suicide.

Family Institute of Connecticut was disappointed to learn that California passed an assisted suicide bill. It is no secret the assisted suicide lobby views California as a great prize because of its influence on legislation across the country and the vast number of people now subject to the new law. After failing in court and during their regular legislative session, the proponents of the bill, with millions of dollars at their disposal, convinced the leadership in California to stack the special session committees (a special session devoted to solving a medical spending crisis) with supporters of assisted suicide. Eliminating democratic protections, such as public hearings and opportunity for debate – the bill passed handily.

But assisted suicide doesn’t have to spread.

Assisted suicide has been defeated over one-hundred times across our country. FIC, along with our allies in the disability community, have employed a successful strategy to defeat assisted suicide in a state that, except with regard to size, is politically similar to California. In the face of being vastly outspent, a media sympathetic to assisted suicide and an electorate that is susceptible to whatever seems to be the next progressive thing, we have nonetheless scored repeated success against assisted suicide. This is how we’ve done it . . .