[NFBSea] ATTN: Marci Carpenter

Fri Feb 18 02:13:57 UTC 2022

Hi Sushil,

Thanks for sending this along. I understand the issue and appreciate the information.  You’re always welcome to email me directly at mjc59 at comcast.net. I’m going to talk with President Riccobono about this because I want to find out if the NFB has a national policy position on this issue before we as a Chapter or affiliate take action on behalf of the organization. Of course anyone is welcome to comment on any bill on behalf of themselves. I will let you and the Chapter know as soon as I have a chance to speak with our national office.

Thanks,
Marci

> On Feb 17, 2022, at 5:52 PM, Sushil Oswal via NFBSea <nfbsea at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hi Marci, this came to my attention through a Tacoma Human Rights Commission contact. I’m directing it to you because blind people also have been affected by these eugenics laws in the past.
>  
> Please review and advise our Washington chapters.
>  
> I pasted the links in text if the embedded links don’t work for writing to our representatives.
>  
> Thanks,
> Sushil Oswal
>  
>  
> Hi we need your help to defeat ESHB1141 "Increase Death with Dignity Act" this bill will negatively impact those individuals' w/disabilities and people of color.  People of color already face lethal disparities in healthcare. Allowing healthcare providers, who are not “medical doctors” prescribe lethal drugs to patients they deem “eligible "only increase dangers, mistakes, coercion, and abuse and is not autonomy, for all. People with disabilities have complicated medical needs and know how easy it is to end up with a medical person who does not understand how to help them. It is already possible under the assisted suicide law for a doctor of any specialty to write a script for lethal medication. This expansion would now allow potentially less qualified medical professionals in an unrelated specialty to sign off on getting drugs. We know that the top five reasons people request assisted suicide have to do with fear of disability. The proposed expansions will make it more likely that people with disabilities die by assisted suicide without getting the care they truly need. Please protect my community from harm. 
>  
> I support "Disability Rights Washington" (DRW) in opposing ESHB1141 "Increase Death with Dignity Act". Below are some actions recommended by DRW you can take to help defeat this bill along with information explaining this bill negative impact. SEE BELOW:
>  
>  In case you haven’t seen, the bill is scheduled for a hearing TOMORROW at 8am. We need your help. Please sign in to testify
> https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/Add?chamber=Senate&mId=29811&aId=147059&caId=19698&tId=2&link_id=2&can_id=a8454878563831fd029141acf30c0a13&source=email-action-alert-oppose-eshb-1141-executive-committee-vote-4&email_referrer=email_1445568&email_subject=action-alert-testify-con-on-eshb-1141
>  or at the very least note your position 
> https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/Add?chamber=Senate&mId=29811&aId=147059&caId=19698&tId=3&link_id=3&can_id=a8454878563831fd029141acf30c0a13&source=email-action-alert-oppose-eshb-1141-executive-committee-vote-4&email_referrer=email_1445568&email_subject=action-alert-testify-con-on-eshb-1141
> for the record. Please also share with your networks. Right now, there are 316 people signed in PRO and we are severely outnumbered.
>  
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ACTION ALERT: Testify 'CON' on ESHB 1141
> “Increasing access to the death with dignity act."
> ESHB 1141 significantly dilutes what little protections we have in the current Death with Dignity statute. ESHB 1141 will be heard in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee on Friday, 2/18 at 8:00 AM. Please sign up to testify against this bill - and ask others to do the same!
>  
> People with disabilities are sometimes pressured into assisted suicide, or not offered support and treatment that come with other options. The current protections in law should be maintained and strengthened to ensure that people understand and have access to all options other than assisted suicide. This bill removes three major protections in place including:
>  
> 1. Greatly expands list of medical providers who can oversee assisted suicide. Under Death with Dignity Act, only medical doctors can oversee assisted suicide. This bill expands those who can oversee assist to include registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and osteopathic physician assistants. The bill does not require additional specialized training for these medical providers in treating assisted suicide patients.
>  
> 
> 2. Reduces waiting time for end-of-life medication. There are waiting periods in current law at critical points, to make sure the patient is certain in their decision. The bill reduces the 15-day waiting period between oral requests for the medication to 72 hours; and that can be reduced further if the medical provider decides the person is close to death. Currently there is a 48 hour waiting period where a patient makes a written request. The bill eliminates this waiting period.
> 
>  
> 
> 3. Allows medication to be sent to patients by mail (or courier). Under current law, a medical doctor delivers the medication. The bill changes this, allowing the mailing of the end-of-life medication. The recipient must sign a receipt for the lethal medication.
> 
>  
> 
> Lastly, we do not have clear information on how this law is currently working. Two years ago a study was proposed to learn more but was vetoed by the Governor due to budget concerns. Please consider signing on to our letter, as an individual or an organization.
>  
> From: NFBSea [mailto:nfbsea-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marci Carpenter via NFBSea
> Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2022 5:36 PM
> To: Clark County Chapter, NFB of Washington List <cccnfbw at nfbnet.org>; nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org; nfbsea at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Marci Carpenter <mjc59 at comcast.net>
> Subject: [NFBSea] Contact legislators about supporting Accessible Prescription Label bill, Committee hearing this Friday
>  
> Greetings,
>  
> HB 1852 is a bill in the Washington state legislature which contains language requiring that prescription container labels be provided in accessible formats for blind, low vision and print disabled people. It passed the House last week. The Senate companion bill, SB 5840 has a hearing this Friday morning at 8 AM in the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee. We need as many members as possible to register in support of the bill. In the Committee information the bill is listed as ESHB 1852.
>  
> The main part of the bill is about providing prescription labels in other languages for non-English speaking people. There is now an amendment which says:
> By July 1, 2024, the Commission shall adopt rules establishing other accessibility requirements for individuals who are blind, low vision or otherwise print disabled for prescription drug labels and prescription information
> The commission the bill refers to is the Washington state Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission.
>  
>  
> You can submit comments on the bill or provide written testimony to the Committee. To comment on the bill go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5840.  Here you can comment on the bill and have that comment sent to your legislators. First you must enter your address (no abbreviations and no  apartment numbers). Your legislative district will be verified and you can then register your support of the bill and send comments. The comment section has a 1,000 word limit.
>  
> To submit written testimony which is sent to committee members and committee staff go to https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/Add?chamber=Senate&mId=29811&aId=146431&caId=19533&tId=4. Written testimony can be submitted before the hearing or within 24 hours after the hearing.
>  
> If you want to read the entire Engrossed Substitue bill you can find it at this link; https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1852-S.E.pdf?q=20220216172308.
>  
> Tips for comments and written testimony
> Say the you support ESHB 1852 because..
> We need prescription label information in a format that we can read independently.
> If you have a personal story (or know a blind person who does) about taking the wrong prescription because there was not an accessible label, tell that story briefly.
>  
> As you can tell from the amendment language above there are no details about providing labels in audio, braille or large print. The details on this and other issues will be worked out in the rule making process. We will definitely make our voices heard in that process. We are focusing now on getting this bill passed by the Senate Health and Long Term care Committee and then by the entire Senate. The bill, with the amendment on accessible labels, has already passed the state House.
>  
> Again, the committee hearing is this Friday, February 18, at 9 AM. 
>  
> Thank you for helping to pass this important legislation.
>  
> Marci Carpenter, President
> National Federation of the Blind of Washington
> 206-604-5507
> mjc559 at comcast.net
>  
> _______________________________________________
> NFBSea mailing list
> NFBSea at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbsea_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBSea:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbsea_nfbnet.org/mjc59%40comcast.net
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbsea_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220217/1c49bf91/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 36535 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbsea_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220217/1c49bf91/attachment-0001.jpg>