Indiana US Senator Mike Braun, Joins Florida US Senator Marco Rubio, to Question Pfizer's Position on Medically Assisted Suicide

PRESS RELEASE 02/28/24 

A recent report exposed Pfizer’s financial assistance to Dying with Dignity Canada (DWDC), raising questions about its stance on assisted suicide. DWDC has pushed to expand the eligibility for “medically assisted death” to children as young as 12 years old. Pfizer’s support for DWDC raises concerns that it is complicit in prematurely ending lives. 

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) [pictured here] and colleagues sent a letter to Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla regarding Pfizer’s donations to DWDC, and the company’s stance on “medically assisted death.” 

Indiana Resolution Opposing Assisted Suicide Passes in Committee

 Alex Schadenberg, 

Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Indiana Resolution 17 titled: A Concurrent Resolution opposing and condemning assisted suicide passed on Wednesday February 29 [2024] passed on the Indiana Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services by a vote of 9 to 2. The following is the wording of the resolution:

Whereas, The State of Indiana has an unqualified interest in the preservation of human life and the State's prohibition on assisting suicide in IC 35-42-1-2.5 both reflects and advances its commitment to the State's interest;

HB 1011 Dead

Per the Patients Rights Action Fund, Indiana bill, HB 1011, is dead for the season and will not carry over to the new year.

House Concurrent Resolution No. 19, Opposing Assisted Suicide

To view the entire document, click here.

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, the Senate concurring: 

SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly strongly opposes and condemns assisted medical suicide because the Indiana General Assembly has an unqualified interest in the preservation of human life. 

SECTION 2. That the Indiana General Assembly strongly opposes and condemns assisted medical suicide because anything less than a prohibition leads to foreseeable abuses and eventually to euthanasia by devaluing human life, particularly the lives of the terminally ill, elderly, disabled, and depressed whose lives are of no less value or quality than any other citizen of this state. 

Session Adjourns With No Further Action Regarding Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

The Indiana 2020 regular session adjourned on March 14 with no further action on House Bill HB1020 and Senate Bill SB446, proposing to prohibit assisted suicide and euthanasia. 

Proposed Bill Prohibits Euthanasia

Sen. Vaneta Becker

On January 15, 2020, Senate Bill 446, prohibiting euthanasia, was referred to the Committee on Health and Provider Services. The bill was authored by Senator Vaneta Becker, who is a member of the committee. The bill's digest states in part:

Prohibits: (1) mercy killing; (2) lethal injection; and (3) passive withholding or withdrawal of a life prolonging procedure; by a health care provider in certain instances. Prohibits a person from delegating certain prohibited acts to a third party for the purpose of circumventing a prohibition against the act. ... Provides that a person who knowingly or intentionally exerts undue influence on a patient in order to convince the patient to end the patient's life commits a Level 1 felony. 

To view the bill text, click here

Bill Seeks to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

On January 7, 2020, HB 1020, a bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, was read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Public Health.

To view the bill text, click here.