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Archives for October 2015

3 ways to repeal the bill ushering in a Suicide State

Thursday, October 8, 2015, 9:14 pm | Randy Thomasson

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I’ve been talking to people about what can be done to repeal the awful suicide-promotion bill that Jerry Brown has signed into law.

There are at least 3 ways to repeal ABX2-15, the dangerous and unnecessary “assisted suicide” law that is scheduled to go into effect sometime next year.

Short-term: A constitutional lawsuit would challenge the California Supreme Court to uphold the clearly written words of the California State Constitution. A just ruling would find ABX2-15 unconstitutional.

Article IV, Section 3(b) limits special session bills to the subjects listed in the governor’s proclamation convening a special session. The specific subject of this special session was Medi-Cal funding, not suicide in any way, shape, or form.

I so wish we had a constitutional republic where any citizen could sue to enforce the clear reading of the Constitution. Over the decades, that right has been significantly and unconstitutionally eroded. Therefore, the task is to find the right person or persons of “standing” that the court will recognize.

Medium-term: A ballot referendum would aim to repeal AB2X-15 by a direct vote of the People. A referendum has been filed against for the Suicide State bill. It intends a clean, clear reversal of ABX2-15 and doesn’t seem to be for organization-building, but for a noble purpose.

Here’s the Oct. 6 filing, one day after Brown signed the bill. The official proponent is psychologist Mark Hoffman of Seniors Against Suicide. However, referenda are very difficult to qualify. There’s only around 2 months to collect nearly a half million raw signatures (the 90-day clock has already started and 10-20 days will be “eaten up” before signatures can begin to be collected). And it will be a long petition that cannot be functionally printed from the web.

According to the California Secretary of State: A proponent has only 90 days from the date of the enactment of a bill (or in the case of a redistricting map, the date a final map is certified to the Secretary of State) to request and receive a circulating title and summary from the Attorney General (Elections Code § 9006(a) allows 10 days for the preparation of the circulating title and summary), print petitions, gather the required number of valid signatures, and file the petitions with the county elections officials. [Bolding added for emphasis]

To successfully qualify for the California ballot, a referendum campaign quickly needs at least a million dollars — and more likely two or three million dollars — to hire professional signature gatherers to gather more than 60,000 raw voter signatures every week for eight straight weeks. Will a multi-millionaire against suicide come forward and make it happen?

Long-term: A state constitutional amendment is the best long-term legal protection against a suicide agenda. The current law against “assisted suicide” is short. Penal Code, Section 401 reads: Every person who deliberately aids, or advises, or encourages another to commit suicide, is guilty of a felony. These brief words, along with more words that provide greater definition and close all conceivable loopholes, could be filed as a state constitutional amendment. And it could fit on one page.

This long-term strategy is superior because a state constitutional amendment is the highest legal authority in California, higher than the Governor, the Legislature, and importantly, higher than the California Supreme Court. A constitutional amendment, even with its higher signature requirement, is also easier to qualify than a referendum. Not only does a state constitutional amendment allow the proponents to raise funds and organize ahead of time, it has 180 days to collect signatures compared to around 75 days to gather signatures for a referendum.

My take: I believe the best strategy is a constitutional court challenge, and at the same time, a state constitutional amendment. For the short term, getting ABX2-15 struck down as unconstitutional not only requires the least time and money, it’s entirely appropriate and necessary. And for long-term legal protection against a suicide agenda, a constitutional amendment has much better chances than a referendum of qualifying for the ballot. And a plus of doing these at the same time is that a constitutional amendment campaign collecting signatures will positively lobby the California Supreme Court as it considers a constitutional challenge to ABX2-15.

However, if a multi-millionaire stepped up and donated $1-2 million to the referendum campaign, that could be enough to qualify it. Otherwise, don’t count on it, even if a number of local churches energetically collected signatures from their own congregations. Not many pastors got involved in the battle against ABX2-15, so I don’t expect them to eagerly gather signatures on anti-suicide petitions. It’s sad, but true.

There are even those who think it’s possible for the California Legislature to repeal it themselves. This would take unusual leadership by a handful of anti-suicide Democrat legislators, and would require even better and more sophisticated lobbying than this year’s efforts.

That’s the lay of the land as I see it. SaveCalifornia.com will support any viable, principled effort to repeal the dangerous and unnecessary “assisted suicide” law. This terrible new law must be repealed!

Margaret Dore,jpgLearn the facts of ABX2-15 from expert attorney Margaret Dore of Choice is an Illusion:

1. ABX2-15 applies to people with a “terminal disease,” which is defined as having a medical prognosis of less than six months to live. Such persons can, in fact, have years, even decades, to live. The more obvious reasons being misdiagnosis and the fact that predicting life expectancy is not an exact science. Doctors can sometimes be widely wrong.

2. In Oregon, which has a nearly identical definition of “terminal disease,” eligible persons include young adults with chronic conditions such as insulin dependent diabetes. Such persons, with appropriate medical care, can have years, even decades, to live.

3. ABX2-15 allows the patient’s heir, who will financially benefit from his/her death, to actively participate in signing the patient up for the lethal dose. This is an extreme conflict of interest.

4. Once the lethal dose is issued by the pharmacy, there is no oversight. Not even a witness is required when the lethal dose is administered. If the patient protested or even struggled against administration, who would know?

5. Assisted suicide can be traumatic for family members as well as patients.

6. If California follows Washington State, the death certificate is required to be falsified to reflect a natural death. The significance is a lack of transparency and an inability to prosecute for murder even in a case of outright murder for the money.

You can still resist a Suicide State

Tuesday, October 6, 2015, 5:56 pm | Randy Thomasson

The godless media that doesn’t investigate corrupt government or bad bills is fawning over Jerry Brown for signing the suicide promotion bill.

They think ABX2-15 gives them the choice when to die. But the fact is, this terrible bill allows pro-suicide forces in the government, insurance companies, and hospitals to steer sick, elderly, uninformed, and confused people to “agree” to suicide because the powers that be see them as cheaper dead. The bill does not prevent this money-motivated pressure.

Since Pandora’s Box has been opened, expect this to happen in many families, including church families. Elder abuse is already a huge problem in America. Under the California bill, a legal heir is permitted to be part of the request for the suicide pill, there’s no witness at death, no requirement to self-administer the lethal drug (someone else could do it to you), forgery is functionally permitted of a final attestation form, a false cause of death must go on the death certificate, and there’s no prosecution because nothing can be called “homicide” or “elder abuse” even if the evidence says otherwise. See how this “assisted suicide” bill sets up weak and vulnerable Californians to be killed off for money?

Consider the current law’s strong deterrent against pressuring or “assisting” someone to commit suicide. One of the big reasons for this law is to prevent deceitful murders that perpetrators call mere suicides!

California Penal Code Section 401: Every person who deliberately aids, or advises, or encourages another to commit suicide, is guilty of a felony.

How will this play out? Stop and think about how the pronouncement “it’s terminal” depresses a patient. And consider that 12 million Americans are misdiagnosed ever year in our country.

And the terrible thing, under ABX2-15, a doctor can say you’re “terminal” without factoring in medical-establishment treatments to extend your life and certainly without talking about natural-medicine cures that can heal you. If you think you’re a “burden” on family, friends, and caretakers, all the better for the suicide agenda. In Oregon, 40% of those committing “assisted suicide” reported one of their top “end-of-life concerns” was that they were a “burden on family, friends/caregivers.”

And realize that this “assisted suicide” law isn’t just for people who are “dying,” but for people who are “eligible.” This includes an 18-year-old with Type 1 diabetes who is insulin dependent. Because in Oregon, a “terminal” label doesn’t take into account any treatment. How’s that for informed consent? Because of the broad eligibility under ABX2-15, “assisted suicide” can cut short the lives of people who would otherwise have years, even decades, to live.

As I’ve said, I’ll say again — concerned families should make plans now to never allow sick family members to be alone in the hospital, and to rethink whether convalescent homes and hospices are safer elsewhere, in states that don’t promote suicide, such as Nevada and Arizona.

However, what’s immediately needed is a lawsuit to strike down ABX2-15 for violating the California Constitution’s requirement that extraordinary legislative session bills stick to the subject and don’t deviate from the governor’s proclamation, which in this case, was Medi-Cal funding, and not suicide in any way, shape, or form.

For more talking points to educate people in your family, in your church, and in your local media, see SaveCalifornia.com’s Oct. 5 news release.

However, none of these men committed suicide. Solomon learned to “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Elijah was comforted by an angel, allowed to rest, and given a new commission. Jonah received admonition and rebuke from God. Paul learned that, although the pressure he faced was beyond his ability to endure, the Lord can bear all things: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
What is the Christian view of suicide? What does the Bible say about suicide?

Together, we fought the good fight (but Jerry Brown promoted suicide)

Monday, October 5, 2015, 6:35 pm | Randy Thomasson

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If you partnered with SaveCalifornia.com against California becoming a Suicide State, THANK YOU! You did a very good thing. You stood for what’s right by championing Life.

You stood up for a just, civilized, moral, and pro-life society with SaveCalifornia.com. And for the love of God and people, that’s what we must continue to do — in our homes, neighborhoods, churches, community, state, nation, and the world.

With Democrat Governor Jerry Brown today signing ABX2-15 to change California’s ethic from “suicide is wrong” to “sometimes suicide is good,” California will become THE Suicide State — UNLESS this bad law, which will likely go into effect in January, is repealed through a lawsuit or ballot measure.

We must respond to evil the way God wants us to. On sad days like this, when terrible agendas attack Godly, pro-family, pro-life values that you and I hold dear, will we run for cover, go silent, insulate ourselves, and pretend these battles don’t exist? OR will we do what’s right, and faithfully and prayerfully shine the light of Truth wherever we have a fighting chance? Because God always has something for us to do!

Here at SaveCalifornia.com, we believe that standing and speaking the truth — with a loving motivation — is always a success. THANK YOU AGAIN for doing your part alongside the leadership of SaveCalifornia.com and our Campaign for Children and Families. We’re privileged to be your pro-family and moral values advocate here in California.

Here’s the news release SaveCalifornia.com sent to the media today. This life-and-death issue will continue to be at the forefront in our state and nation. And you will no doubt find yourself in the middle of conversations about California being an “assisted suicide” state. Our news release talking points on ABX2-15 will empower you to be an articulate voice for truth in your circles of influence.