Rep. Josh Schriver: Democrat Bills to Assist Suicide
Official Newsletter: Representative Josh Schriver
“I uphold the Constitution to the best of my ability, so help me God.” -Josh Schriver
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
On my first day of session, I swore a sacred oath to follow and uphold the Constitution of the United States to the best of my ability, so help me God. Over the past 15 months since I was first elected, following through on that commitment has been my primary focus.
There is a lot of pressure in our State Capital to “follow the crowd” instead of doing what’s right. Many sessions feel like an uphill battle. As long as I have the position of serving you as your representative in our State Capital, I will never stop fighting for our usable, God-given, unalienable rights to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and more.
This is my most recent in a series of advanced notices on what current Democrat Leadership is aiming to pass on the House Floor this Spring:
Assisted Suicide
All senior citizens deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in hospital facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The Hippocratic Oath sworn by all doctors includes the following statement, “I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death.”
The American Medical Association believes assisted suicide would do more harm than good. Their code of medical ethics indicates this practice is incompatible with the doctor’s role as a healer. In addition, it creates obvious societal degradation.
More than 20 years ago, the Supreme Court reported there is no fundamental right to assisted suicide in the U.S. Constitution. In Washington vs. Glucksberg, the United States Supreme Court said, “In almost every State—indeed, in almost every western democracy—it is a crime to assist a suicide. Assisted suicide bans are longstanding expressions of our commitment to the protection and preservation of all human life.”
Michigan House Democrats are engaging in an effort to legalize assisted suicide.
There are many reasons why I oppose physician-assisted suicide. Here are just a few:
It degrades the value of human life. Even those working the call centers at national suicide prevention hotlines do not encourage those struggling with suicidal thoughts and tendencies to commit suicide.
Sometimes, terminal diagnoses are wrong. We have all heard stories of a senior citizen told by their doctor they had 6 months to live, only to experience a full recovery and live for 5 more years.
Allowing medical professionals to help patients commit suicide is not right. It’s not loving or merciful. They should help fight for the sick - not help them terminate their lives.
This practice corrupts the institution of medicine. It allows the tools of healing to be used for the killing of innocent human life. In addition, it reduces the trust patients have in their doctors’ complete commitment to their physical health and well-being.
Physician assisted suicide violates the Constitutional rights of every Michigan resident to be treated with dignity and equality under the law. Our residents deserve strong legal protections to ensure doctors take reasonable steps to prevent innocent human beings of any age from being killed or devalued. If not, doctors must face criminal penalties.
These policies place Michigan residents in danger of losing their usable, God-given, unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I will continue to oppose this heinous policy proposal to the best of my ability, so help me God.
I look forward to sharing more with you next week.
God Bless You,
Representative Josh Schriver
For the sake of transparency and accountability, I am one of only 8 out of 110 State Representatives in Michigan to report every single vote I make with a reason for each vote. My most recent votes and reasons are below and a link to all my votes/reasons can be found at the very bottom.
4618: Apply Taxpayer Funded Healthcare to 5 Michigan Airports (Instead of just 3)
NO- This should apply to all Michigan airport workers or none of them. Applying this benefit to only 5 airports is not fair to Michigan airport workers that are not included in these 5 airports.
PASSED 83/24
5527/5528- Mandate Plan/Training for First Aid, AED & CPR for High School Athletic Coaches and Prohibit Hiring Unless Training is Complete
NO- Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) recommends but does not require that every workplace include one or more employee trained in First Aid, AED and CPR. If anything, local school boards or the schools themselves should make the decision of what is required for their schools and their school athletic coaches in the best interest of the students they serve.
PASSED 77-30
4519- May 2 as “Negro League Day”
YES- The Negro League is a cool part of Michigan’s past. My Grandpa Joe (1910-2007) attended many Negro League games for the Detroit Stars/Kansas City Monarchs and told me many stories about how amazing the Negro Leagues were.
PASSED 104-3
5077/5078- Unverified Distribution of Opiod Overdose Countermeasures
NO- This bill creates an unverified distribution of opiod overdose countermeasures such as Narcan to various State Agencies. Our First Responders already have these countermeasures, and this bill will result in taxpayers paying for these life-saving resources to be sent to State Agencies without any verification of need or use. Therefore, this bill will result in improper use and/or non-use of taxpayer-funded items.
BOTH PASSED 96-11
5392: Fee Increase for Guilty Defendants
NO- Guilty defendants should pay associated court fees, but under this bill, innocent law-abiding taxpayers will end up paying court fees if a guilty defendant refuses to pay. This is obviously not a fair use of tax dollars.
PASSED 101-6
4169/4170: Affirm and Regionalize Occupational Therapist Licensing
NO- For the sake of increasing access to these quality services, Michigan should aim to disesteem and decrease, rather than reaffirm and fortify an unnecessary need for occupational therapist licenses. This set of bills establishes interstate networks of government licensure requirements for occupational therapists. Every industry in Michigan (including occupational therapists) is more than capable of licensing, accrediting, and holding their workers to account.
PASSED 103-6
5384-5386: Redefine Rental Premises, Rental Unit and Leased Properties
NO- After selling their property, residents should be free to arrange a contractual agreement for temporary residence on the property without government intrusion.
PASSED 104-5
SB249: Require Creation of State Paramedic Certification Exam
NO- Using taxpayer dollars to create and facilitate a state-level paramedic certification exam is not necessary as there is already an accessible national-level exam that accomplishes the aim of this legislation.
PASSED 101-4
SB27: Amend Insurance Code to Include Mental Health Coverage
NO- This policy poses a risk to further increase insurance premiums for Michigan residents. The State of Michigan is already in compliance with federal standards so codifying this policy in Michigan Law will lock Michigan residents into a deal that would risk even higher premiums for Michigan residents if federal standards were decreased.
PASSED 93-12
5182/5183: Create 5 Year Felony for Michigan Residents w/ Technology and “Intent” to Steal Cars
NO- Stealing a car is already illegal. Criminalizing a crime not yet committed further increases the likelihood of law-abiding residents experiencing unreasonable search, seizure, and impediment based on interpretation of “intent.”
5182 PASSED 88-17, 5183 PASSED 89-16
4504/4505: Affirm and Regionalize Physical Therapist Licensing
NO- For the sake of increasing access to these quality services, Michigan should aim to disesteem and decrease, rather than reaffirm and fortify an unnecessary need for physical therapist licenses. This set of bills establishes interstate networks of government licensure requirements for physical therapists. Every industry in Michigan (including physical therapists) is more than capable of licensing, accrediting, and holding their workers to account.
4504 PASSED 90-13, 4505 PASSED 97-7
2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE