{"id":160301,"date":"2017-01-14T09:18:15","date_gmt":"2017-01-14T14:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=160301"},"modified":"2017-01-14T09:18:15","modified_gmt":"2017-01-14T14:18:15","slug":"congressional-republicans-move-to-block-d-c-assisted-suicide-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/congressional-republicans-move-to-block-d-c-assisted-suicide-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Congressional Republicans move to block D.C. assisted suicide bill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last month, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser quietly signed into law<\/a> the so-called “Death with Dignity” bill, legalizing assisted suicide. Bowser did not make a statement about her decision to not veto the bill, despite heavy opposition from D.C. residents. However, all was not lost; Congress has to approve of all D.C. laws before they are implemented. The bill was sent to Congress for a 30-day review period, and already, Congressional Republicans are signaling that they want to block the bill from passing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio.) introduced a resolution condemning the bill. \u201cWashington, DC\u2019s assisted suicide bill would erode our culture\u2019s respect for life, and possibly lead to the mistreatment and exploitation of the disabled and most vulnerable among us,\u201d a statement read. Wenstrup, a podiatrist and former Army combat surgeon, was particularly vocal about his opposition, saying, \u201cAs a doctor, I value human life and providing comfort and hope for human life,\u201d and he explained that a failure to intervene on the part of Congress would equal \u201ctacit federal approval\u201d of assisted suicide.<\/p>\n

They aren’t the only ones looking to stop the bill, though. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — which oversees D.C. affairs — said that he “<\/a>fundamentally disagrees” with the bill<\/a>. \u201cAssisted suicide is not something we take lightly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After being introduced, the resolution has 30 legislative days to be passed by Congress and signed by the president.<\/p>\n

While the assisted suicide lobby fought fiercely to get the D.C. bill passed, it was met with heavy opposition, particularly from black residents<\/a> who feared that the bill would target the most vulnerable\u00a0— the elderly, the poor, and minorities. And indeed, the bill had much to be concerned about, including:<\/p>\n