Joffe Assisted Suicide Bill Blocked
Great news from the UK: The House of Lords has decided by a 48 vote margin to delay considering the Joffe assisted suicide legalization bill for at least 6 months. In essence, this kills the bill, at least for now.
Now, if we can stop the California legalization bill (AB 651), it will be a clean sweep for the year. Of course, the euthanasia advocates will be back next year and the political dance will begin again.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 11:22 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Let's see: Joffe proposed a bill. Both sides of the debate engaged in vigorous debate. The Lords took a VOTE. The bill was defeated. And you think it is Hitler. You are becoming a joke, man.
Had the Lords passed Joffe, it would have been sent to the Commons where it might also have been voted upon. So, it wasn't inconsequential. Moreover, the Lords are part of the UK's democratic system
As for poll numbers somehow directly reflecting the popular will in your mind. But real polls are elections In 1991, an initiative in WA to legalize euthanasia was winning in the polls by 70% plus when the campaign began. It lost 54-46. Ditto in CA in 1992. Assisted suicide won in Oregon 51-49, and is now law in that state. But note its polling was in the high 60s when the campaign began. In 1998, in MI, a legalization initiative began in the 70s and lost 71-29 percent. In Maine in 2000, legalization began with low 70s approval and lost 51-49. The moral of the story? Polls are, at best, inconclusive as to how people will think once they are forced by an election to look closely at an issue. We find that the more people learn about assisted suicide, the less they like it.
Also note that very few politicians run for office on a plank of legalizing euthanasia. If they thought the people were wild for the policy, they would.
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