State Rep. Hauter Speaks Out Against Assisted-Suicide

State Representative William E. Hauter (R-Morton) took two minutes on the Illinois House floor on Thursday, May 1st to speak against pending legislation to legalize physician assisted-suicide. The following is a transcript of his short speech.

"Madam Speaker and members of the Illinois House, I rise today as a physician opposed to physician assisted suicide. As some of you may know, there is a bill before the Illinois Senate, Senate Bill 9 that would legalize suicide aided by a physician, so-called medical aid in dying. I will never call physician-assisted suicide medical aid in dying because we have that in medicine. It's called palliative care. It's called hospice care.

"Against this background, last weekend, the Illinois State Medical Society (SMS) met and debated again the topic of physician-assisted suicide and current legislation. I'm very happy to report that the ISMS, the Unified Voice of Illinois Physicians, voted overwhelmingly to oppose physician-assisted suicide and Senate Bill 9.

"The physicians of Illinois will stand with our terminally ill patients to offer comfort and relief, and with palliative care to offer dignity and dying with hospice care. The physicians of this state will stand with the vulnerable, the poor, and the disabled, who are often pressured with the insinuation that their lives are worth less, that they are a burden, and that suicide is the best or only option. The physicians of Illinois will stand with our ancient and sacred oath, first, do no harm. The ISMS and the physicians of Illinois will strongly oppose physician-assisted suicide legislation that may come before this general assembly.

"I ask that my colleagues here in the General Assembly, not entangle physicians with the unethical and unwanted practice of doctors assisting in their own patients suicide.

Thank you, Madam Speaker."