Last updated on: 3/2/2016 8:21:42 AM PST
Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"Q: What's your attitude toward Oregon's assisted suicide law?
A [Hillary Clinton]: I believe it's within the province of the states to make that decision. I commend Oregon on this count, as well, because whether I agree with it or not or think it's a good idea or not, the fact that Oregon is breaking new ground and providing valuable information as to what does and doesn't work when it comes to end-of-life questions, I think, is very beneficial...
I have a great deal of sympathy for people who are in difficult end-of-life situations. I've gone to friends who have been in great pain and suffering at the end of their lives. I've never been personally confronted with it but I know it's a terribly difficult decision that should never be forced upon anyone. So with appropriate safeguards and informed decision-making, I think it's an appropriate right to have."
Source: Interview with the Register Guard newspaper, as quoted by talkleft.com, "Hillary and Obama on Assisted Suicide and Medical Marijuana," talkleft.com, Apr. 6, 2008
Pro
"While individual religious and moral views vary, both Ayn Rand and Mises recognized suicide as one of the most basic rights that not even a totalitarian state could take away from the individual. They are correct, and government efforts to impede that right are doomed to fail."
Source: Email to ProCon.org from Gary Johnson's Communications Director, Joe Hunter, on July 9, 2012
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None Found
No position found as of May 5, 2016
None Found
No position found as of Nov. 23, 2015
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"I am proud of how Vermont is a leader, frankly, in a number of areas, including end-of-life care. You know, this is, uh, a very emotional issue, obviously, and we have got to be extremely careful about how those decisions are made. And I know the concerns of people who oppose this...
But you know, I think if a human being is in a situation where they are going to see their life end in a short period of time, where they are suffering, where they choose no longer to be alive. I think they have the right to make that decision for themselves."
Source: Kelsey Rupp, "Bernie Sanders Differentiates Himself in a Big Way from Hillary When It Comes to Assisted Suicide," ijreview.com, Feb. 18, 2016
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Con (No)
Con
"Florida respects the liberty interest of those who would prospectively refuse life-prolonging procedures, but 'imposes criminal responsibility on those who assist others in committing suicide.'...
Denying oral sustenance [to Terri Schiavo] would... unnecessarily and without legal warrant extend the state privacy right to incorporate the right to terminate one's life through means beyond declining life-prolonging procedures…"
Source: Property Rights Research, "Memorandum of Amicus Curiae Jeb Bush, Governor of the State of Florida, in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction," propertyrightsresearch.org, Oct. 7, 2003
Con
"The National Right to Life Committee has been a staunch advocate against abortion and euthanasia for decades, and I have great respect for the good work the organization does to defend the sanctity of life. I am honored to have earned the organization's endorsement, and I look forward to working together to... defend our shared values in Washington as a member of the U.S. Senate."
Source: Carly for California, “Carly Fiorina Endorsed by National Right to Life Committee,” carlyforca.com, May 5, 2010
Con
"In fact, it feels worthwhile to publish a short list of accomplishments here. During my tenure as governor, we... Signed legislation [Act 394] banning physician-assisted suicide."
Source: Mike Huckabee, Do the Right Thing, 2008
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Not Clearly Pro or Con
"It is very difficult to judge people who decide that they want to end their lives when they are afflicted with a terminal disease that is going to lead to a miserable death. Most people with terminal diseases can be allowed to die naturally if interventions are withheld and adequate comfort measures are taken. For example, people with glioblastoma (grade IV brain cancer) are usually on high doses of steroids. If the steroids are acutely withdrawn with the permission of the patient and family and sedation is administered, death follows quickly. We should never be too quick to judge others without spending some time in their shoes."
Source: Ben Carson, Facebook post, www.facebook.com/realbencarson, Oct. 9, 2014
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"I understand that these are very, very difficult issues and I promise you that I will, if there's any [physician-assisted suicide] legislation that comes to my desk from the Legislature, that I will look at it and carefully consider it because of how important the issue is to so many people across the state.
But I also don't want to mislead you. I have real concerns about this and it goes in line with my general philosophy, which is whether we're talking about a drug-addicted teenager, whether we're talking about a homeless adults, whether we're talking about someone suffering from mental illness, or someone suffering from physical illness, all life is precious and is a gift from God, and no life is disposable. That belief of mine... informs my policies in a lot of different ways, and always has."
Source: Ask the Governor radio show, New Jersey 101.5 FM, Jan. 15, 2015
Not Clearly Pro or Con
[Editor's Note: On Aug. 19, 2015, Ted Cruz wrote a Facebook post about Dr. William L. Toffler's article against physician-assisted suicide. Cruz called the article "A powerful testimony for life from a physician who's witnessing first-hand the troubling repercussions of doctor-assisted suicide."]
Not Clearly Pro or Con
"[The states] are capable of defining end-of-life-terms."
Source: Charles Babington, "Post-Schiavo Questions await Congress's GOP Leaders," www.washingtonpost.com, Apr. 5, 2005
[Editor's Note: Graham voted yes to the Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999 (HR 2260), which would have banned the use of drugs for physician-assisted suicide.]
Not Clearly Pro or Con
[Editor's Note: Kasich voted yes to the Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999 (HR 2260) on Oct. 27, 1999, which would have banned the use of drugs for physician-assisted suicide.]
None Found
No position found as of Nov. 18, 2015
None Found
No position found as of Nov. 23, 2015
Not Clearly Pro or Con
[Editor's Note: On Oct. 20, 2003, Marco Rubio, then a member of the Florida House of Representatives, voted in favor of "Terri's Law" (HB 35E) giving Governor Jeb Bush the authority “to issue a one-time stay to prevent the withholding of nutrition and hydration from” Terri Schiavo.]
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