As my senator, I hope you will vote for the End of Life Option Act. If I ever become terminally ill, I would want the option to die peacefully with my family around me, rather than be doped up with pain killers that may not even eliminate my pain. I know I’m not alone, I saw a survey that says most Marylanders agree with me. I’m sure people in our district agree.

I write to you to communicate my support for Senate Bill701, the End-of-Life Option Act. I feel that people should have choices for how and when they die if they are unfortunate enough to have a terminal illness. This act would let people choose to end their life in a comfortable way surrounded by loved ones or in whatever setting they choose. Bear in mind that this is not suicide. This is an informed decision made between a patient and their doctor. The decision to end suffering from an incurable illness should be the patients’ decision, and I think I would want that choice if I were in that situation. Even with the best medical technology, there still can be suffering and poor quality of life. This law would not affect those who do not wish to end their lives. They simply would not apply for the program. Citizens in many states have supported these laws, which has been in effect for over 20 years in Oregon and is authorized in 9 states, plus D.C., so it would make sense that Maryland follows suit. I am asking you to give Marylanders with terminal illnesses a choice by your voting for Senate Bill 701.

As your constituent, I hope you’ll vote in support of senate bill 701 allowing medical aid in dying. I believe in an individual’s right to choose how to live, and that includes when and how to die. If I become terminally ill I would want the right to end my life with a medical cocktail that allows me to leave this life in peace. I know not everyone would want to go this way, but I think everyone should have the right to choose. This decision does not go against religion, it’s a personal decision. Please join the majority of Marylanders who support this bill and would want this option if they were terminally ill, even if they did not eventually use the option.

You are my Senator and I am writing in support of the end of life option act, senate bill 701. If a person is terminally ill, they should be allowed to make the choice to die on their own terms instead of their disease’s. This bill would allow patients to die surrounded by their friends and family instead of suffering in a hospital bed. Please support this bill and allow medical aid in dying. I ask you to please allow people their choice and dignity by giving them the right to choose. This should be in the hands of the terminally ill patient and no one else. This sort of bill has passed in many states already and has been used for years. There has been no evidence of the program being abused, even after 20 years. There is also a lot of support for this kind of bill. I saw that most surveys show more than 65% support for this kind of law. I’m sure that’s the case in our district too. This law would help only the people who want to stop suffering. It’s their choice if they are suffering to put an end to their life. If they don’t want to use the law, they don’t have to. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to die when they want to instead of waiting until they have to? Please help the people who are suffering and support senate bill 701. Thank you.

As my senator, I hope you will vote for the End of Life Option Act. If I ever become terminally ill, I would want the option to die peacefully with my family around me, rather than be doped up with pain killers that may not even eliminate my pain. I know I’m not alone, I saw a survey that says most Marylanders agree with me. I’m sure people in our district agree.

As my senator, I hope you will vote for the End of Life Option Act. While some people with terminal illnesses can stop receiving medical care, for some people with cancer or ALS that won’t help. They’ll still be in pain and sometimes no amount of pain killers will eliminate their suffering. These people should have the option to end their own lives if they aren’t disabled or mentally ill.

I am writing this letter as a concerned American citizen and your constituent to add my voice in support for senate bill 701, otherwise known as the End of Life Option Act, also referred to as medical aid in dying. I intend, in this letter, to systematically address the common concerns that are expressed in reference to these practices and provide rebuttal to each, in turn. This ability to choose how to live and the freedom we have in our country should extend to everyone, including those terminally ill patients who have found no solution to their illness. When someone has found that they have no ability left to find any healing, that they will die in the next few months, they should be afforded the ability to choose when, how, where, and with whom they want their life to end. The fact that we have the technology and can provide this choice in the first place should be celebrated. Because of this, I feel it is important to allow these patients their choice. The bill has, in my view, enough requirements to prevent people from being pressured or taken advantage of. I’m told there have been no cases of the disabled being hurt by this law. There is an idea that has floated around that perhaps if these patients were receiving proper medical or hospice care, they would stay comfortable until the natural end of their lives without the need for this option to be provided. Statistics prove this to be untrue, however. Data from the nine states that have already allowed for medical aid in dying show that nearly all of the patients who seek this are those who are in the highest quality of hospice care, living the most comfortably they possibly can given their illness. Despite this, some still seek this option, since no amount of medical care can fully alleviate their suffering. It seems to me that the kindest option would be to allow them to seek the care they want instead of being forced to accept the care the doctors provide. The stigma around the suicide epidemic that plagues our country is no small matter. However, this is not suicide. It is not the violent and despair-laden end of a mentally ill individual’s struggle. It is a peaceful and painless end, surrounded by the patient’s family and friends. Through the medication provided, the patient dies calmly without pain or suffering. They can do so in whatever place with whomever they so choose. Additionally, through the application process, the doctors will exclude anyone suffering from mental illness. These three factors differentiate these end of life options from the typical definition that one thinks of as suicide.

I live in your district and I urge you to support Senate Bill 701, the end of life options legislation. I believe the most important pillar in our American Democracy is freedom for all. I believe that this freedom should be extended to all terminally ill patients.. These patients, with no options left, should have the ability to choose when they want to go. This program is not forced on any individuals and is only available to patients who qualify for this option. As a result, the patients who want relief, and actively seek it out, can obtain the services they need. Many opponents say the restrictions in the law aren’t enough. But the Maryland law has the same protections used in similar legislation in Oregon and DC where it has been successful. These protections make this legislation effective yet adequately restricted. Also, contrary to opponent claims, laws in these states have not increased the suicide rate. Suicide rates have increased in every state, but it’s because of opioid abuse. This law does not permit suicide. There’s a big difference between a terminally ill cancer patient choosing to painlessly end their life, and a depressed youth tragically cutting their life short. Two doctors will be able to tell if the patient is depressed or mentally incompetent. This legislation will allow suffering patients to make the best choice for their happiness and health, and I believe this is a fundamental aspect of being an American. Thank you for your time, and I hope you will support SB701 and the people that it will assist in living their best lives.

I live in your district, and I’m writing to ask you to vote for the Death with Dignity bill. We live in a country where having choices is very important and protected by our laws. In the case of terminally ill people, for some reason, our state does not give them a choice of how to die. Our state requires people to suffer until their bodies are finally consumed by disease. If I had a terminal illness I would at least want the option to end my life, even if I didn’t choose that option. Just having the option would give me the peace of mind that if I couldn’t bear the suffering I’d have a choice. Please vote for this important legislation.

I live in your district and I hope that you’ll vote in favor of SB701, or the Death with Dignity Act. This bill is essential to ensure the wellbeing of terminally ill individuals. It is completely unfair for patients with painful, terminal illnesses to be forced to suffer when they would get relief. This bill will give these patients the option they are entitled to. And no one will be forced into this program if they do not desire it. Too many people suffer with their illnesses for much longer than they would have liked to. I’ve read that some patients in hospice die from too many pain killers. Some patients want to die with dignity, rather than die with a loss of dignity. No patients, physicians, or pharmacists will be forced to participate in this program. Please vote based on the evidence and the ability for this legislation to help your constituents feel less pain. I and many others believe it is essential to help Marylanders live better lives. It may seem like the opposite, but the ability for a terminally ill patient to decide when they have suffered enough pain significantly improves their quality of life. There are many terminally ill patients and their families hoping that you do the right thing to support their wellbeing and right to choose. Please make the right decision.

I live in your district, and I am writing to you to ask that you support SB 701, the end of life option act. I wish to persuade you to vote in support of this bill, as an educated and concerned citizen of Maryland. This is a very important bill when it comes to allowing those with terminal illness the choice to end their lives themselves. This is a big decision that one might not be able to fathom, but those with fatal illnesses may wish to make this decision after being given only 6 months to live. If I had just 6 months to live, I would at least want the option to end my life with some medicine, rather than suffer months and months of pain killers. At some point, we should have the right to say we don’t want any more useless treatments. I wish that this bill be passed to give the people suffering fatal sickness the option to choose how they want to die. It would be a huge relief for those who are dying and wish to do so quickly and comfortably. Consider those who are suffering when you vote for this bill. Consider those who are in pain, so they can have a choice to end their life, in the event that they have a terminal disease. Consider what your constituents like me support. Vote in SUPPORT of Senate Bill 701.

I live in your district and I want you to know what I support the Maryland end of life option act. Please vote in support of this bill. Many of my neighbors support it. In fact a majority of Marylanders – about 66 percent support it. Having choices and options is very important to people with terminal illnesses. Patients want a choice to end their suffering if they so choose. There is a very rigorous process that doctors and patients must follow. Please give these patients a choice. This choice would be a huge relief for many of those who are dying and want to do so with dignity. Please vote in support of Senate Bill 701 and give options to people with terminal illnesses.

Please vote in support Senate Bill 701. This act is so very important to me and many people in Maryland because it would give those who are suffering an option of relief. There are so many patients with fatal illnesses that need relief once the end of their life is near. These people would not be forced to apply for the program, but they would be educated about their options and can be given the help that they as for. The act has protections to make sure that people aren’t pressured into asking for a painless death. Depressed and disabled people can’t qualify for the medicine. Other states with this type of law have no problems with it. This is not a subject to be taken lightly, I understand, as it protects people’s lives and the right to choose their fate. It is so important that we give people the right to choose. Once again, I urge you to support SB 701. Marylanders with terminal illnesses will thank you for your consideration and compassion. Their families will thank you for being kind-hearted in supporting them and their loved ones.

I beg you to support SB 701, the end-of-life options act. Many people in this state suffer from a terminal illness. This act would give them a choice to end their life on their own terms. Their doctors would evaluate their mental capacity, interview them and allow for their medical aid in dying to proceed if they’re close to dying. Many families distinctly remember their love ones’ last moments as some that were painful or uncomfortable to see or be around. This bill could allow for everyone in this situation to be more prepared. This law has been in effect in many other states, as well as in Oregon for over 20 years. Most Marylanders support this bill and would want to be given a choice of their fate should they be in the situation where they want this choice. If you or I were diagnosed with a terminal illness, I would wish that legislators would grant us both a choice in how to die. Any patient in this situation should be given the opportunity to die in their home, surrounded by their family. Please support SB 701.

You are my senator, and I hope you will support senate bill 701 allowing medical aid in dying for people in Maryland. Other states have it. We should too. I know religious individuals object to this bill, but they don’t have to use it if they think that it violates their religious principles. Just like a woman’s right to choose, this law gives people a choice. No one forces a woman to have an abortion, and no one would force a terminally ill person to use a medicine that would end their life. I understand the law would make sure that mentally ill and intellectually disabled people can’t use this law because they’re not competent. No amount of pressure could change that. Surveys show that the support for medical aid in dying is 60%-70% nationwide, within Maryland, and even within disabled populations, support is the same. This choice for patients and their physicians, none of whom would ever be required to participate. I support the passing of senate bill 701 and hope you will vote to support it.

Senator, as a voter in your district, I urge you to vote for Senate Bill 701, the End of Life Options Act. Death is a hard subject to talk about, but I think we should face that fact that we will all die sooner or later. The only real question is whether medical science and the law will force us to live longer than we want to if we have a terminal illness and less than 6 months to live. Some people with terminal illnesses can simply stop their care and they die in a few days, but some people with some cancers and ALS can live for a long time with pain and suffering, even with pain killers. This isn’t right. People should have the option of taking a medicine that ends their life with dignity and compassion. Please vote for this bill to give people in Maryland a decent way to live and die.

Please vote for Senate Bill 701. I live in your district, and I hope my opinion matters to you. Other states have this so-called Death with Dignity law. It works well in those states, and it’s becoming more and more popular. Most Americans want the option to die peacefully rather than suffer from a terminal illness. Just because some people fear death doesn’t mean that we all have to suffer the pain and indignity that modern medicine creates. I want for myself and my family the option to die on our own terms, not the unfeeling terms that medical technology imposes. Thank you for your support.