| MCIL Journal | FreeOurPeople.org | ADAPT Action Report | Home |
|
|
| MCIL News Release Archive |
| National ADAPT |
| M C I L |
| Tennessee ADAPT |
| Not Dead Yet! |
| B F M S |
NEWS RELEASE
November 4, 1998
The Michigan Chapter of Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights group, congratulates Michigan voters on their resounding renunciation of Proposal B, which would have legalized assisted suicide in Michigan.
"Unlike referenda in other states which ended in very close votes, Michigan voters have already seen the future when the door to so-called assisted suicide is opened," said Bob Liston, Michigan Not Dead Yet Coordinator. "We believe that the parade of deaths orchestrated by Jack Kevorkian had a definite impact on Michigan voters _ and they answered with a resounding `no' to legalization."
Since 1990, Jack Kevorkian has admitted to "assisting" in the deaths of over 100 people in Michigan, most of whom were not terminally ill. Not Dead Yet and other disability rights groups have pointed to Kevorkian as proof that the practice of assisted death, once tolerated, cannot be controlled.
Although opposition to the referendum was widespread, there were significant levels of support across demographic groups. "African-Americans were overwhelmingly opposed to legalization," said Marsha Katz, another organizer for Michigan Not Dead Yet. "In fact, the group most likely to support legalization were white men in their 40s and 50s. We've been saying all along that assisted suicide is a movement promoted by the four W's - White, Worried, Well-off, and Well. The data in Michigan supports that interpretation." Demographic analysis of Michigan's vote on Proposal B revealed a direct relationship between higher income and likelihood of a yes vote.
Since it's inception, Not Dead Yet has maintained that legalized assisted suicide is inherently discriminatory, singling out the older, ill or disabled as "less valuable" and therefore "deserving" of assistance to end their lives. "Ballot initiatives such as the Merian's Friends Proposal are not dissimilar to putting Jim Crow laws up to a popular vote," stated Bob Liston.
With the latest vote now history, it is hoped that Michigan and the nation will move on to the pressing, real issues faced by people with significant health problems, or disabilities. There continues to be a need for equal access to quality health care, a need for home and community based attendant services, and a need for adequate pain management and available hospice care. These are the issues that lawmakers should be addressing.
Local, Memphis:
Tim Wheat
(901) 726-6404 * (901) 726-6521 fax
1633 Madison Avenue - Memphis TN 38104
National:
Steve Drake
Rochester, NY.
Diane Coleman
(708) 209-1500 ext. 11
7521 Madison St., - Forest Park, IL 60130
The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org
MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency
Return to the top of this page
MCIL would like feedback on the accessibility of this website. Please send your comments and concerns to webmaster@mcil.org