A Nevada physician, Dr. T. Brian Callister, warned that with legal assisted suicide, "what we are going to see is a movement towards the cheapest treatment" by insurers. "The cheapest treatment is the medicine that is going to kill you."
Senator John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, told the AP that insurers could pressure the elderly and disabled to use assisted suicide medication, and said, "I think people with disabilities should be pretty concerned."
Rep. Anne Neu questioned at the hearing how many people would choose assisted suicide "in fear of being a burden on their families."
The state's bishops are among the religious leaders opposed to the bill.
At the hearing, Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota noted his opposition to the bill, while Harlan Limpert, a Unitarian Universalist minister, indicated his support.
Senator Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, who chairs the Minnesota Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said shortly after the House committee's hearing that "physician-assisted suicide is a dangerous policy and we will not hear it in the Senate."
"Many of those opposed to state-sanctioned suicide are in the mental health and disability community because when people are vulnerable, they are at the greatest risk of outside influence clouding their personal judgement," she noted. "When people are facing difficult decisions or even desperation, the state should not be telling them ending their life is a way out."
Benson suggested palliative care as a "life-affirming" alternative, and said: "In fact, we proposed a palliative care commission to discuss policy options that would support palliative care, but House Democrats opposed the bill."
"Senate Republicans have increased funding and expanded health care access to those with mental health issues in recent years. It frightens me to consider someone who may be having suicidal ideation could be told that suicide is a positive choice for their life. Let's be clear: it is not. Whether it's done by a medical professional or an individual's tragic decision, suicide hurts those left behind," she stated.
"Finally, if physician-assisted suicide becomes law, it may be easier for some to remind those with a high level of care that it is cheaper for them to die than to keep them alive. The cost of care is not how we determine the value of someone's life."
The state legislature will not reconvene until February 2020.
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In the US, assisted suicide is legal in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, and in Montana by a court ruling. A law allowing it in Maine will take effect Jan. 1, 2020, and a law legalizing it in New Jersey is on hold while it is being challenged in court.
In Colorado, a Colorado man who has cancer and his doctor have filed a suit against a Catholic health system alleging that its policy barring doctors from participating in assisted suicide violates state law.