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Carrie Christofferson Handy
Member since Jan 28, 2015
Recent Comments
Re: “Last Rights: A Putney Woman Becomes the Third Vermonter to End Her Life Using New Law”
This is a well written article. Kudos to Terri Hallenbeck, and condolences to Maggie Lake’s family and loved ones. One thing we need to remember in the volatile debate over Act 39 is that , contrary to the spin made by people like Linda Waite-Simpson of Compassion Choices (formerly “The Hemlock Society”), not everyone presented with this option will choose it voluntarily, and we must be conscious of the very real vulnerability of those people –the poor, the aged, the severely disabled, just to name a few --and the need to protect them from coercion and abuse. Dying is not an either-or proposition (“either I hasten my death, or I die in pain”). There is the potential for excellent palliative care for anyone with a terminal diagnosis, and improving access to such care should be the primary focus of our legislature, not providing means to an alternate death at one’s own hand . The reality is that a “dignified death”, and one without severe pain, is attainable without recourse to a hastened, artificial end. The potential for harm to the vulnerable inherent in Act 39 far outweighs any arguable “good” it can possibly do.
Posted by
Carrie Christofferson Handy
on 01/28/2015 at 2:03 PM
Re: “St. Mike's Won't Approve a Planned Parenthood Internship”
I commend St. Mike's for being clear about their mission as a Catholic College. No student is being forced to attend there.