We are less than a week away from the Council of the District of Columbia’s most important vote of the year. After the Committee on Health and Human Services last week approved Councilmember Mary Cheh’s Death with Dignity bill, the full Council is due to vote on Tuesday, October 18.
As before, we are cautiously optimistic the Council will vote to provide District residents with the end-of-life option we’ve been fighting for. And as before, we, Councilmember Cheh, and, most importantly, the terminally ill District residents who want this option need your help.
The Councilmembers need to hear from their constituents. Please email your Ward’s Councilmember and the Councilmembers-at-Large to express your support for the Death with Dignity Act of 2015.
Find your Councilmember and their contact information with your mailing address at OpenStates.org.
A few DOs and DON’Ts for your email message:
- DO state your full name and which D.C. Ward you live in.
- DO express your support for the proposed B21-0038, the Death with Dignity Act of 2015.
- DON’T demand the Councilmember vote for the bill.
- DO share a personal story underpinning your support for the Act, if you have one.
- DO be brief, to the point, and, most importantly polite and courteous.
- DON’T forget to sign off and conclude with your full name again.
We’ve been working with Councilmember Cheh’s office since she first introduced the Oregon-style bill in January 2015, the first national advocacy organization to do so. We discussed the bill and the Oregon experience with Councilmembers in private meetings, provided facts to refute our opponents’ demagogic lies, and testified before a Council committee. And our interviews with the Editorial Board of the Washington Post resulted in the paper’s two endorsements of the bill.
Your contribution has been indispensable. We’re only a few days away from our work in the District of Columbia bearing fruit.
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