Disability Futures

With assisted suicide bills pending in many states, disability rights advocates are needed to help oppose them.  Not Dead Yet Colorado just played a pivotal role in defeating an assisted suicide bill in that state, but bills are pending or expected in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, the District of Columbia and more.

Many of the national disability rights groups that oppose assisted suicide bills have chapters, affiliates and members in these states, so Not Dead Yet has developed a Toolkit to assist them in advocating successfully.  NDY’s Disability Rights Toolkit for Advocacy Against Legalization of Assisted Suicide has embedded links to excellent resources on the assisted suicide issue, many of them provided by the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, including a very importantlegislative primer entitled “A Progressive Case Against Assisted Suicide Laws.”

The seven sections of the NDY Toolkit cover:

1. Why disability advocacy groups oppose legalizing assisted suicide
2. Educating and organizing disability opposition
3. Meeting with legislators and policy leaders
4. Testifying at hearings
5. Working with the media
6. Conducting direct actions – leafleting, rallying
7. Working in coalition

Advocacy organizations may also like to include an article on the issue in organizational newsletters:  Why Do Disability Rights Organizations Oppose Assisted Suicide Laws?