•HCON 80 IH 
taken, used, ingested, or administered as directed, ex-
pected, or instructed, will, with reasonable medical cer-
tainty, result in the death of the individual, preempting 
death from disease, accident, injury, age, or other condi-
tion; 
Whereas society has a longstanding policy of supporting sui-
cide prevention such as through the efforts of many pub-
lic and private suicide prevention programs, the benefits 
of which could be denied under a public policy of assisted 
suicide; 
Whereas assisted suicide most directly threatens the lives of 
people who are elderly, experience depression, have a dis-
ability, or are subject to emotional or financial pressure 
to end their lives; 
Whereas the Oregon Health Authority’s annual reports reveal 
that pain or the fear of pain is listed second to last (25 
percent) among the reasons cited by all patients seeking 
lethal drugs since 1998, while the top five reasons cited 
are psychological and social concerns: ‘‘losing autonomy’’ 
(92 percent), ‘‘less able to engage in activities that make 
life enjoyable’’ (90 percent), ‘‘loss of dignity’’ (79 per-
cent), ‘‘losing control of bodily functions’’ (48 percent), 
and ‘‘burden on family friends/caregivers’’ (41 percent); 
Whereas the United States Supreme Court has ruled twice 
(in Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill) that 
there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide, that 
the Government has a legitimate interest in prohibiting 
assisted suicide, and that such prohibitions rationally re-
late to ‘‘protecting the vulnerable from coercion’’ and 
‘‘protecting disabled and terminally ill people from preju-
dice, negative and inaccurate stereotypes, and ‘societal 
indifference;’ ’’ 
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•HCON 80 IH 
Whereas clearly expressing that assisted suicide is not a le-
gitimate health care service, Congress passed, with a 
nearly unanimous vote, and President Bill Clinton signed, 
the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act to prevent 
the use of Federal funds for any item or service, includ-
ing advocacy, provided for the purpose of causing, or as-
sisting in causing, the death of any individual such as by 
assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing; 
Whereas a handful of States have authorized assisted suicide, 
but over 30 States have rejected over 200 attempts at le-
galization since 1994; 
Whereas States that authorize assisted suicide for terminally 
ill patients do not require that such patients receive psy-
chological screening or treatment, though studies show 
that the overwhelming majority of patients contemplating 
suicide experience depression; 
Whereas the laws of such States contain no requirement for 
a medical attendant to be present at the time the lethal 
dose is taken, used, ingested, or administered to inter-
vene in the event of medical complications; 
Whereas such State laws contain no requirement that a quali-
fied monitor be present to assure that the patient is 
knowingly and voluntarily taking, using, ingesting, or ad-
ministering the lethal dose; 
Whereas such State laws contain no requirement to secure le-
thal medication if unwanted or if death occurs before 
such medication is used; 
Whereas such State laws do not prevent family members, 
heirs, or health care providers from pressuring patients 
to request assisted suicide; 
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•HCON 80 IH 
Whereas such States qualify some patients for assisted sui-
cide by using a broad definition of ‘‘terminal disease’’ 
and ‘‘going to die in six months or less’’ that includes 
diseases (such as diabetes or HIV) that, if appropriately 
treated, would not otherwise result in death within six 
months; 
Whereas it is extremely difficult even for the most experi-
enced doctors to accurately prognosticate a six-month life 
expectancy as required, making such a prognosis a pre-
diction, not a certainty; 
Whereas reporting requirements vary by State, but when re-
quired, rely on prescribing physicians or dispensing phar-
macists to self-report; 
Whereas such reporting is neither conducted by an objective 
third party nor of sufficient depth and accuracy to effec-
tively monitor the occurrence of assisted suicide; 
Whereas there is an astounding lack of transparency in the 
practice of assisted suicide to the extent that State health 
departments and other authorities admittedly have no 
method of knowing if it is being practiced within the 
bounds of State laws and have no funding or authority 
to make such a determination; 
Whereas some State laws actively conceal assisted suicide by 
directing the physician to list the cause of death as the 
underlying condition without reference to death by sui-
cide; 
Whereas the confidential nature of end-of-life decisions makes 
it virtually impossible to effectively monitor a physician’s 
behavior to prevent abuses, making any number of safe-
guards insufficient; 
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•HCON 80 IH 
Whereas the cost of lethal medication is far less costly than 
many life-saving treatments, which threatens to restrict 
treatment options, especially for disadvantaged and vul-
nerable persons, as has happened in several known cases 
and presumably many more unknown in which insurers 
have denied and/or delayed coverage for life-saving care 
while offering to cover assisted suicide; and 
Whereas access to personal assistance services such as in- 
home hospice and palliative care, home health care aides, 
and nursing care/nursing assistance is regretfully limited 
and subject to long waiting lists in many areas, placing 
systemic pressure on patients in need of such personal 
assistance services to resort to assisted suicide: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the 
Federal Government should ensure that every person fac-
ing the end of their life has access to the best quality and 
comprehensive medical care, including palliative, in-home, 
or hospice care, tailored to their needs and that the Fed-
eral Government should not adopt or endorse policies or 
practices that support, encourage, or facilitate suicide or 
assisted suicide, whether by physicians or others. 
Æ 
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