Friends and neighbors –

I wanted to alert you to a bill legalizing assisted suicide that has been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature. On January 25, it was approved by a committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives. This bill would let adults with qualifying conditions get medication to end their lives.

It is a tragic continuation of Democrats’ culture of death. Last year it was unrestricted abortion up to the moment of birth. Now it is helping people kill themselves. It seems Democrats have no respect for the preciousness of life.

As you can probably guess, I will strongly oppose this bill if it comes up this session. Life is a sacred gift from God. Deliberately ending one life erodes the value of all life.

Diminishing the value of life will almost certainly lead to broadening the criteria for what we consider an acceptable reason for ending one's life. Look at what is happening in Canada for real world examples of what awaits us further down this path. People there are turning to assisted suicide for reasons like poverty and depression.

We also must recognize the vile message it sends to our most vulnerable loved ones. Elderly, disabled, or mentally ill patients could feel subtle pressure – real or imagined – to stop being a burden on their relatives by seeking out assisted suicide. But they are not a burden. Their lives have value.

Our responsibility is to care for the most fragile and vulnerable among us. It is not to enable their deaths when they are feeling the most desperate or hopeless.

If you have questions about this bill, please do not hesitate to reach out.

God Bless,