Posted on 11/06/2024 10:09:48 AM PST by Morgana
While abortion dominated the ballot measure landscape, pro-life Americans won another victory in West Virginia.
West Virginians narrowly approved a constitutional amendment to explicitly prohibit killing patients and elderly people in assisted suicide. Voters approved the measure on a narrow 50.5-49.5 margin, but enough for a pro-life victory.
The explanation provided on ballots was that “The purpose of this amendment is to protect West Virginians against medically-assisted suicide.”
The amendment would add a section to the state Constitution to say, “No person, physician, or health care provider in the State of West Virginia shall participate in the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.”
Furthermore, “Nothing in this section prohibits the administration or prescription of medication for the purpose of alleviating pain or discomfort while the patient’s condition follows its natural course; nor does anything in this section prohibit the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment, as requested by the patient or the patient’s decision-maker, in accordance with State law. Further, nothing in this section prevents the State from providing capital punishment.”
Assisted suicide is currently legal in 9 states, including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington — and the District of Columbia. Courts have also allowed it in Montana.
Wesley Smith, an attorney who has led multiple battles on euthanasia, celebrated the victory.
“There will be a lot of political news in the next week. But I don’t want it missed that apparently West Virginia voters narrowly passed a constitutional amendment banning assisted suicide. This is the first time that the so-called right to die movement has been proactively pushed back — as opposed to successfully defending against that policy’s spread. Good on West Virginia Right to Life and its allies who helped make this possible,” he said.
“I just wish my mentor on this issue, Rita Marker, had lived to see it. Also, the great anti-assisted-suicide and disability-rights campaigner Diane Coleman — who founded Not Dead Yet — who recently passed away. Memory Eternal,” he added.
YAY Thank You God.
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