RIGHT TO DIE--LAW AND LEGISLATION---Right-to-Die Minnesota

RIGHT-TO-DIE MINNESOTA

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

    The RTD-MN-LC is an ad-hoc collection of people
interested in right-to-die legislation
in the state of Minnesota,
in the United States of America.

    This committee began to form in early 2007.
Who should join the Right-to-Die Minnesota Legislation Committee?

    This is primarily an electronic committee,
without face-to-face meetings and without paperwork.
The primary function of this cyber-committee
is to think about the right-to-die in the state of Minnesota.
This thinking will be done at the computer screens of the members.
The Legislation Committee will communicate by means of e-mail.
For this purpose a electronic group has been established.
And this website will preserve all of the important discussions
and any documents the committee might create:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/RTD-MN.html

    If everyone who wants to be a member of this committee is 'on Facebook',
then our Facebook Page might be the best way to share our efforts:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Right-To-Die-Minnesota/165503450171710

FOUR KINDS OF CHANGE IN MINNESOTA LAW

{The following change has already been incorporated into Minnesota law.
See the link at the bottom of this section.}

A. a law defining and describing the legal ways to draw life to a close in Minnesota

    This law does not create any new rights.
It merely clarifies and codifies the legal means of choosing death
already available within medical practice in Minnesota:

    1. increasing pain medication.

    2. terminal sedation.

    3. ending curative treatments and withdrawing life-supports systems.

    4. voluntary death by dehydration.

    A new law would assure all laypersons and medical personnel
that using any of these means of bringing a gentle death
will not result in any civil or criminal procedures.

    An on-line essay explains these choices:
"Four Legal Methods of Choosing Death":
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-L-END.html

    And two other on-line essays explores the choice of terminal dehydration:

VDD:
Why Giving Up Water is Better than other Means of Voluntary Death .
https://s3.amazonaws.com/aws-website-jamesleonardpark---freelibrary-3puxk/CY-VD-H2.html

Voluntary Death by Dehydration:
Safeguards to Make Sure it is a Wise Choice .
https://s3.amazonaws.com/aws-website-jamesleonardpark---freelibrary-3puxk/CY-VDD-SG.html

Here is the recent modification of the Minnesota law against assisting a suicide,
which includes these recommended changes:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/MN-SUIC.html

B. a new law permitting physicians to prescribe life-ending chemicals

    This law would be similar to the Oregon Death with Dignity Act
and other proposals that began with that model,
such as the California Compassionate Choices bill.

    The following website presents the texts
of several laws and proposals:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/SG-LAWS.html

    Another website presents more than 30 possible safeguards
that might be incorporated into any right-to-die legislation:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/SG-CAT.html

    And from these, 26 recommended safeguards have been selected:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/SG-A-Z.html

{The following change has already been incorporated into Minnesota law.
See the link at the bottom of this section.}

C. a revision of the law against assisting suicide

    This reform would define the difference between
assisting an irrational suicide, which would remain a crime,
and assisting a voluntary death, which would NOT be a crime.

    The following on-line essay explains the differences:
Will this Death be an "Irrational Suicide" or a "Voluntary Death"?
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-IS-VD.html

    Here is the recent modification of the Minnesota law against assisting a suicide,
which implicitly includes these recommended changes:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/MN-SUIC.html

D. a new law prohibiting causing premature death

This law would further clarify the present law against assisting a suicide.
Causing premature death would be a punishable offense.
But the law would also define which chosen deaths are NOT premature.
Several safeguards would separate the crime of causing premature death
from the non-crime (benefit to the patient) of voluntary death with assistance.
And the same safeguards would separate the crime of mercy-killing
from the non-crime (benefit to the patient) of merciful death.

A draft of such a model law against causing premature death
will be found here:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/PREM-DTH.html

THE RIGHT-TO-DIE MINNESOTA ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION GROUP

RTD-MN@googlegroups.com

    Anyone can join this list by sending an e-mail to:
RTD-MN+subscribe@googlegroups.com

    You will be asked to establish a (free) Google Account,
which only requires you to provide
your preferred e-mail address and a password.

    Once you are registered with Google,
you can also search for this group:
"Right-to-Die Minnesota".

    And here is our Google website for this Google Group:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/rtd-mn

    Once you find this Google website for our group,
you can follow the instructions for subscribing.

RIGHT-TO-DIE MINNESOTA FACEBOOK PAGE

If you are 'on Facebook', you can also participate
by 'liking' this Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Right-To-Die-Minnesota/165503450171710

Created April 19, 2008; revised April 9, 2011; 4-7-2012; 4-4-2013; 7-7-2013; 3-21-2014;

Go to the opening page for RIGHT-TO-DIE MINNESOTA.

Go to the right-to-die portal.

Go to the beginning of this website
James Leonard Park—Free Library