Sen Ted Kennedy, Jr. opposes DPS!

The Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor-Prescribed Suicide has sent every member of the Massachusetts the article below stating CT State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr's opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide.  They will receive it tomorrow, Monday.  It should be influential with the legislators and raise the buzz before the hearings on Tuesday.

We want to be sure every legislator is aware of the statement and we want them to know their constituents are aware and concerned

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This is what each of us needs to do:  we must call our own senator and representative tomorrow.  The message is that the legislator has received the article about Sen Kennedy's opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide.  You are calling to encourage him/her to read the article as soon as possible.

You will find the phone numbers for your senator at https://malegislature.gov/People/Senate and your representative at https://malegislature.gov/People/House

If you do not know the names of your legislators, you may look them up here.  http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx

We think this statement is so important that we want to be sure people are talking about it at the State House.  Your call will make that happen!  Anne

Why Does CT State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. Oppose

Doctor-Prescribed Suicide?

The statement from CT Senator Ted Kennedy is from an interview with Steven M. Mazzacane that was published on August 3, 2014 in BradfordSeven.com Business News. 

"[The end of life] is a very intimate and very personal time in someone's life," [Kennedy] explains. "I don't think the government should have any role in interfering in that process. I've had this position for a long time; I think people with disabilities feel their lives are already devalued by society.
"When I was told I was going to lose my leg, the first thought I had was that I would rather be dead…I don't think we should let those type of ideas infiltrate what should be a medical decision.
"Secondly, if you are terminally ill and have made those wishes to your doctor saying 'I don't want to be kept alive, I'm in pain and I want to go,' right now, that's what happens. It's not like people are being artificially kept alive against their own will.
"My wife is a psychiatrist, she spends her life trying to prevent people from killing themselves, and now we are going to say 'it's okay, you can do that.' I just don't see it."
Kennedy states that he wants to increase services, such as visiting nurse care, so that people don't feel as if they are at that point.   

Ted Kennedy, Jr. is a healthcare attorney, business entrepreneur, and lifelong advocate for people with disabilities. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University, Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and the University of Connecticut School of Law. Ted has lived in Branford for more than 15 years with his wife, Katherine "Kiki" Kennedy, M.D., an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University and an environmental activist. They have two children, Kiley and Teddy.

In early 2014, Ted joined the national law firm of Epstein Becker & Green as a partner in its Health Care and Life Sciences practice. He advises clients on the critical legal and reimbursement policy issues related to the changes posed by healthcare reform. He provides counsel to healthcare providers, commercial insurers, and life science companies.

Prior to joining Epstein Becker & Green, Ted co-founded the Marwood Group, a leading healthcare-focused strategic advisory and financial services firm. For the last 12 years, he served as its president. Under Ted's direction, the Marwood Group grew to become one of the leading healthcare advisory firms in the country, with more than 100 professionals and offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and London. Many of the nation's foremost healthcare companies and trade associations have looked to the Marwood Group's policy
For a printable copy of the article, click here: Kennedy on DPS.pdf