Connecticut Woman To Become Vermont’s First Nonresident To Get Medically Assisted Suicide In State. 76-year-old Lynda Bluestein traveled from Connecticut to Vermont on Wednesday to prepare for her scheduled death. Bluestein’s son, Jake Shannon, told News 12 Connecticut that Bluestein will take a lethal injection on Thursday morning. – Corinne Murdock of Daily Wire
A Connecticut woman has now become the first non-resident to use Vermont’s medical aid in dying law.@MorgaNorwood has more on this terminally ill patient, and the broader ethics around physician-assisted suicide. pic.twitter.com/YCQLORagHh
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) January 4, 2024
Woman becomes first non-resident to die through Vermont‘s assisted suicide law. Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old Connecticut woman who ardently advocated for the extension of Vermont’s euthanasia law to allow individuals from outside the state to avail themselves of assisted suicide, recently chose to end her own life under the terms of a settlement that granted her access to the state’s assisted suicide program. Bluestein, who had been grappling with fallopian tube cancer, passed away through euthanasia in Vermont last Thursday.
She literally died doing what she loved- Trump Quotes
The legal battle initiated by Bluestein was championed by the euthanasia advocacy group Compassion & Choices, which filed a lawsuit against the state of Vermont on her behalf in August 2022. The lawsuit contended that the state’s denial of assisted suicide services to non-residents was a violation of the U.S. Constitution.
According to the New York Daily News, in March of the same year, the state agreed to permit Bluestein to legally end her life there. Subsequently, in May, this right was extended to all terminally ill individuals desiring to make that choice. Oregon is the sole other state that permits medically assisted suicide for non-residents.
Lynda Bluestein, a Connecticut woman who pushed for expanded access to Vermont's law that allows people who are terminally ill to receive lethal medication, died in Vermont, an event her husband called “comfortable and peaceful,” just like she wanted. https://t.co/cA6GnyjNWv
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 5, 2024
Bluestein, in an interview with The Associated Press last year, expressed her desire to have control over the timing of her death. “I wanted to have agency over when cancer had taken so much for me that I could no longer bear it,” she stated. “That’s my choice.”
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In 2013, Vermont passed the Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act, also known as Act 39, which legalized assisted suicide for individuals facing terminal illnesses with a prognosis of six months of life or less.
CLI would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Lynda Bluestein who died this week at the time of her own choosing. Consistent with the way she lived, over this past year Lynda took steps to live an intentional, joyful, and completed life. pic.twitter.com/l5sUAscclC
— The Completed Life Initiative (@completedlife) January 4, 2024
Currently, euthanasia is legal in several states, including California, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Washington, Hawaii, and New Mexico. Oregon is the only other state besides Vermont that permits individuals to travel there for assisted suicide. Furthermore, states such as Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire are contemplating the legalization of euthanasia this year.
Cancer-stricken Connecticut grandma who pushed for Vermont to expand ‘assisted suicide‘ to out-of-state residents finally receives LETHAL medication after years-long fight – Daily Mail
However, amidst the ongoing debates surrounding assisted suicide, concerns have been raised. In July 2021, the Psychiatric Times published an article opposing assisted suicide, citing preliminary reports suggesting increased suicide rates in states that have legalized physician-assisted suicide. The article highlighted that “legalizing PAS has been associated with an increased rate of total suicides relative to other states, and no decrease in non-assisted suicides.” Similarly, the Netherlands, where medical euthanasia is legal, has witnessed an acceleration in suicide rates compared to neighboring countries where it remains illegal.
"I feel grateful."
That's how Jacob Shannon feels after saying goodbye to his 76-year-old mother Lynda Bluestein on Thursday. https://t.co/i6HI8EQbmk
— NECN (@NECN) January 7, 2024
Physician and ethicist Leon Kass, MD, has strongly advised against making the dying dead, emphasizing the importance of caring for the dying. The American College of Physicians has echoed these sentiments, stating that physician-assisted suicide is not a therapeutic solution to end-of-life challenges. Instead, they advocate for high-quality care, effective communication, compassionate support, and appropriate resources to help patients control various aspects of their final chapter of life.
Major Points Discussed:
- Lynda Bluestein, a Connecticut woman battling fallopian tube cancer, successfully advocated for the extension of Vermont’s euthanasia law to permit assisted suicide for non-residents.
- Compassion & Choices filed a lawsuit on Bluestein’s behalf in August 2022, arguing that Vermont’s denial of assisted suicide services to non-residents violated the U.S. Constitution.
- Vermont agreed in March to allow Bluestein to legally end her life, and in May, extended that right to all terminally ill individuals, making it the second state, after Oregon, to permit medically assisted suicide for non-residents.
- Currently, euthanasia is legal in various states, with others like Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire considering legalization in the current year.
- Concerns surrounding assisted suicide include increased suicide rates in states that have legalized physician-assisted suicide, as noted in a July 2021 article, and opposition from figures like Leon Kass, MD, who emphasizes the importance of caring for the dying rather than facilitating death. The American College of Physicians also opposes the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, advocating for comprehensive end-of-life care.
Robert McKay
Comments – Threads – Links
- Terminally ill Connecticut woman ends life with assisted suicide in Vermont after helping to change state law – NY Daily News
- A Connecticut woman who fought for Vermont to extend their euthanasia law to allow people from other states to travel there to die has ended her life as part of a settlement allowing her access to their assisted suicide program. Lynda Bluestein, 76, died by euthanasia in Vermont on Thursday. Euthanasia is legal in California, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Washington, Hawaii, and New Mexico. The only other state that allows people to travel there to die is Oregon. Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire are all considering legalizing euthanasia this year- Cassandra MacDonald
- We’ll be addressing this in WV this year- Geno Chiarelli
- Dr Jack was a boogeyman in the 90s for this, and if I’m not mistaken did it for far not sympathetic reasons- The Appalachian Podcast
- They should have to do it the old fashioned way, that’s why we have the 2nd Amendment- MajorQueerdo
