Position Statement on SB 676 / HB 1021, Death With Dignity Act

The Arc Maryland
P.O. Box 1747
Annapolis, MD 21404-1747
T 410.571.9320
F 410.974.6021
www.thearcmd.org

Position Statement on SB 676 / HB 1021, Death With Dignity Act

The Arc Maryland will oppose SB 676/HB 1021, the Death With Dignity Act, which would
legalize physician assisted suicide in Maryland. The position is taken on behalf of our concerns
regarding its impact on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Arc Maryland’s concerns include lack of protections, historic discrimination in the medical
field based on perceived 'quality of life' of persons with disabilities, and lack of treatment and
other options for individuals with I/DD (such as palliative care, suicide prevention, mental
health services, support services, etc.). Our constituency is unduly vulnerable to coercion by
trusted individuals and professionals.
The bill provides no guarantees that persons who are terminally ill (including those with and
without I/DD) will have rights to access all available options, and there is no guarantee that
once a person is given their diagnosis, that they will also have the right to access mental
health care in order to process the grieving cycle that may take place before making a
potentially life-ending decision.
There is no mandatory screening mechanism for depression before making this decision, and
no acknowledgment of the reality that when given the news of a terminal illness, individuals
may be incredibly vulnerable, and would benefit from first having access to mental health
care before making decisions in a depressed state of mind.
In the profit-driven healthcare system and environment of cost containment, The Arc
Maryland believes there is a clear danger that individuals with I/DD will not be advised of
other options; instead we believe there is a danger the health care system would steer
individuals to the least expensive options rather than the above supports individuals may
need.
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have historically and presently face
discrimination and lack of access to medical care based on their perceived value. People with
I/DD have been denied access to health care, basic needs such as food and water, organ
transplants and surgery; historically their lives have been devalued compared to the lives of
non-disabled people, which presents huge concerns when considering the possibility of
physician assisted suicide as a legal "option" for those who either have a disability, or may
acquire a disability as a result of their diagnosis.
In analyzing the current bill, there is also no requirement that a medical professional or
independent witness be present when an individual takes the lethal dose of physician
prescribed medication. Given the disproportionate levels at which people with I/DD are the
victims of coercion and abuse (including by caretakers), this is concerning since there is no
one present to verify that the individual taking the medication did so without being forced,
and of their own free will.

For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities