,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #gi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ab1 #bjai,mr4 ,correa 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,wenstrup1 ,mr4 ,peterson1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,lipinski1 ,mr4 ,la,hood1 ,mr4 ,cartwright1 ,mr4 ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,abraham7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,congress that assisted suicide 7sometimes referred to using other terms7 puts everyone1 including those most vulnerable1 at risk of deadly harm4 ,whereas suicide means the act of intentionally ending one's own life1 preempting death from disease1 accident1 injury1 age1 or other condition2 ,whereas assisting in a suicide1 sometimes referred to as death with dignity1 end-of-life options1 aid-in-dying1 or similar phrases1 means knowingly and willingly prescribing1 providing1 dispensing1 or distributing to an individual a substance1 device1 or other means that1 if taken1 used1 ingested1 or administered as directed1 expected1 or instructed1 will1 with reasonable medical certainty1 result in the death of the individual1 preempting death from disease1 accident1 injury1 age1 or other condition2 ,whereas society has a longstanding policy of supporting suicide prevention such as through the efforts of many public and private suicide prevention programs1 the benefits of which could be denied under a public policy of assisted suicide2 ,whereas assisted suicide most directly threatens the lives of people who are elderly1 experience depression1 have a disability1 or are subject to emotional or financial pressure to end their lives2 ,whereas the ,oregon ,health ,authority's annual reports reveal that pain or the fear of pain is listed second to last 7#be percent7 among the reasons cited by all patients seeking lethal drugs since #aiih1 while the top #e reasons cited are psychological and social concerns3 losing autonomy 7#ib percent71 less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable 7#ij percent71 loss of dignity 7#gi percent71 losing control of bodily functions 7#dh percent71 and burden on family friends_/caregivers 7#da percent72 ,whereas the ,supreme ,court has ruled twice 7in ,washington v4 ,glucksberg and ,vacco v4 ,quill7 that there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide1 that the ,government has a legitimate interest in prohibiting assisted suicide1 and that such prohibitions rationally relate to protecting the vulnerable from coercion and protecting disabled and terminally ill people from prejudice1 negative and inaccurate stereotypes1 and societal indifference2 ,whereas clearly expressing that assisted suicide is not a legitimate health care service1 ,congress passed1 with a nearly unanimous vote1 and ,president ,bill ,clinton signed1 the ,assisted ,suicide ,funding ,restriction ,act to prevent the use of ,federal funds for any item or service1 including advocacy1 provided for the purpose of causing1 or assisting in causing1 the death of any individual such as by assisted suicide1 euthanasia1 or mercy killing2 ,whereas a handful of ,states have authorized assisted suicide1 but over #cj ,states have rejected over #bjj attempts at legalization since #aiid2 ,whereas ,states that authorize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients do not require that such patients receive psychological screening or treatment1 though studies show that the overwhelming majority of patients contemplating suicide experience depression2 ,whereas the laws of such ,states contain no requirement for a medical attendant to be present at the time the lethal dose is taken1 used1 ingested1 or administered to intervene in the event of medical complications2 ,whereas such ,state laws contain no requirement that a qualified monitor be present to assure that the patient is knowingly and voluntarily taking1 using1 ingesting1 or administering the lethal dose2 ,whereas such ,state laws contain no requirement to secure lethal medication if unwanted or if death occurs before such medication is used2 ,whereas such ,state laws do not prevent family members1 heirs1 or health care providers from pressuring patients to request assisted suicide2 ,whereas such ,states qualify some patients for assisted suicide by using a broad definition of terminal disease and going to die in six months or less that includes diseases 7such as diabetes or ,,hiv7 that1 if appropriately treated1 would not otherwise result in death within six months2 ,whereas it is extremely difficult even for the most experienced doctors to accurately prognosticate a six-month life expectancy as required1 making such a prognosis a prediction1 not a certainty2 ,whereas reporting requirements vary by ,state1 but when required1 rely on prescribing physicians or dispensing pharmacists to self-report2 ,whereas such reporting is neither conducted by an objective third party nor of sufficient depth and accuracy to effectively monitor the occurrence of assisted suicide2 ,whereas there is an astounding lack of transparency in the practice of assisted suicide to the extent that ,state health departments and other authorities admittedly have no method of knowing if it is being practiced within the bounds of ,state laws and have no funding or authority to make such a determination2 ,whereas some ,state laws actively conceal assisted suicide by directing the physician to list the cause of death as the underlying condition without reference to death by suicide2 ,whereas the confidential nature of end-of-life decisions makes it virtually impossible to effectively monitor a physician's behavior to prevent abuses1 making any number of safeguards insufficient2 ,whereas the cost of lethal medication is far less costly than many life-saving treatments1 which threatens to restrict treatment options1 especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable persons1 as has happened in several known cases and presumably many more unknown in which insurers have denied or delayed coverage for life-saving care while offering to cover assisted suicide2 ,whereas access to personal assistance services such as in-home hospice and palliative care1 home health care aides1 and nursing care_/nursing assistance is regretfully limited and subject to long waiting lists in many areas1 placing systemic pressure on patients in need of such personal assistance services to resort to assisted suicide2 and ,whereas for all these reasons1 assisted suicide undermines the integrity of the health care system3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of ,congress that the ,federal ,government should ensure that every person facing the end of their life has access to the best quality and comprehensive medical care1 including palliative1 in-home1 or hospice care1 tailored to their needs and that the ,federal ,government should not adopt or endorse policies or practices that support1 encourage1 or facilitate suicide or assisted suicide1 whether by physicians or others4