Catie Kelley, Policy Counsel for Americans United for Life (AUL), testified against Rhode Island’s S.B. 151, a bill proposing the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, before the Senate Committee on Judiciary on May 20, 2025. Kelley argues that the bill endangers vulnerable populations, including the elderly, disabled, and those in poverty, by increasing the risks of abuse and coercion. Citing data from Oregon and Washington, where assisted suicide is legal, Kelley shows that patients often choose death not due to pain but due to loss of autonomy, dignity, or fear of being a burden, highlighting how the bill promotes ableism and ageism by offering death instead of comprehensive care.
Kelley criticizes S.B. 151’s safeguards as inadequate, noting that the bill does not mandate mental health evaluations for depression or suicidal ideation, nor require physicians to specialize in the patient’s terminal condition. She points to Oregon’s 2022 data, where only 0.7% of assisted suicide patients were referred for mental health counseling despite high depression rates, and emphasizes that the bill’s reliance on a single mental health evaluation fails to address hidden depression common in seriously ill patients. Additionally, the bill’s six-month prognosis requirement is flawed, as medical prognoses are often inaccurate, with studies indicating a 40% misdiagnosis rate and 17% of patients outliving their prognosis, potentially leading to premature deaths.
Finally, Kelley argues that S.B. 151 undermines the medical profession’s integrity by allowing physicians to prescribe experimental, non-FDA-approved lethal drugs, violating the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm.” She highlights cases where patients were denied treatment but offered assisted suicide, and notes the lack of oversight for compounded drugs used in these procedures. Kelley concludes that the bill contradicts standards of care, which prioritize palliative care and mental health support, and urges the Committee to reject it to protect vulnerable populations and uphold ethical medical practice, aligning with the majority of states that prohibit assisted suicide.
Read the full testimony below:
AUL-RI-SB-151-PAS-Written-Testimony
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Catie Kelley, Policy Counsel for Americans United for Life (AUL), testified against Rhode Island’s S.B. 151, a bill proposing the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, before the Senate Committee on Judiciary on May 20, 2025. Kelley argues that the bill endangers vulnerable populations, including the elderly, disabled, and those in poverty, by increasing the risks of abuse and coercion. Citing data from Oregon and Washington, where assisted suicide is legal, Kelley shows that patients often choose death not due to pain but due to loss of autonomy, dignity, or fear of being a burden, highlighting how the bill promotes ableism and ageism by offering death instead of comprehensive care.
Kelley criticizes S.B. 151’s safeguards as inadequate, noting that the bill does not mandate mental health evaluations for depression or suicidal ideation, nor require physicians to specialize in the patient’s terminal condition. She points to Oregon’s 2022 data, where only 0.7% of assisted suicide patients were referred for mental health counseling despite high depression rates, and emphasizes that the bill’s reliance on a single mental health evaluation fails to address hidden depression common in seriously ill patients. Additionally, the bill’s six-month prognosis requirement is flawed, as medical prognoses are often inaccurate, with studies indicating a 40% misdiagnosis rate and 17% of patients outliving their prognosis, potentially leading to premature deaths.
Finally, Kelley argues that S.B. 151 undermines the medical profession’s integrity by allowing physicians to prescribe experimental, non-FDA-approved lethal drugs, violating the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm.” She highlights cases where patients were denied treatment but offered assisted suicide, and notes the lack of oversight for compounded drugs used in these procedures. Kelley concludes that the bill contradicts standards of care, which prioritize palliative care and mental health support, and urges the Committee to reject it to protect vulnerable populations and uphold ethical medical practice, aligning with the majority of states that prohibit assisted suicide.
AUL-RI-SB-151-PAS-Written-TestimonyRead the full testimony below:
Print
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