Cleveland Right to Life is a founding member of Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio
from our Pro-Life associates  
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition USA

  
Action Alert

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC)  USA (Nancy Elliott and Sara Buscher) are asking grassroots organizations to contact key Senators to stop passage of  S.2080 and  H.R. 647, the  Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA). Both bills are in the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee.
EPC info for opposing PCHETA can be read  here.

The Senate HELP committee has decided to report S.2080 out or include its language in a public health bill before the end of 2019. The Senate has a floor period from December 2 thru December 13, 2019.

The purpose of calling/email contact is to get a tally  against these bills recorded; each U.S. Senator is tallying the messages they receive on each side of the issue.

Please call/email these Senators ( especially Alexander, Cassidy, Enzi, Paul and Capito).
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee :
Sen. Lamar Alexander, Committee Chair  (202) 224-4944
Sen. Mike Braun  (202) 224-4814
Sen. Richard Burr  (202) 224-3154
Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D.  (202) 224-5824
Sen. Susan Collins ( co-sponsor)   (202) 224-2523
Sen. Michael Enzi, Chair,  Primary Health  Subcommittee
staff:  amanda_lincoln@help.senate.gov   (202) 224-3424
Sen. Johnny Isakson  (202) 224-3643
Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( co-sponsor)  (202) 224-6665
Sen. Rand Paul, M.D.  (202) 224-4343
Sen. Pat Roberts  (202) 224-4774
Sen. Mitt Romney  (202) 224-5251
Sen. Bob Casey (said to be a Prolife Democrat)
staff:  gillian_mueller@casey.senate.gov  (202) 224-6324

Republican Sponsor of S.2080 (n ot on Committee):  Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
staff:  dana_richter@capito.senate.gov  (202) 224-6472

SAMPLE MESSAGE
Find the email address of the Senator's health care staff person to send an email. 
Dear Senator                                         
1) I am writing to ask you to oppose S.2080, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act and its House counterpart, H.R 647, in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where the bills are waiting for a vote.
2) I ask you to oppose this legislation because: these bills could erase hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare fraud recoveries by leaving the definition of "serious or life-threatening illness" until after enactment.
3) AND Palliative Care is often a dangerous path to death for people not otherwise dying who could have years to live. The bill's protective provisions in Section 5 will not stop the abuse and hastened deaths of people enrolled in hospice and palliative care. The first protection is not enforced because the federal agency authorized to do so, does not have the necessary data; the second protection (S. 2080 only) applies to the furnishing of care under the Act, but the Act funds education, research and public information,  not the furnishing of care.
4)  Include a personal story about how this issue would affect your life.
5) Thank them for their time.
6) Type Your Name and Contact information (you can expect a form response (or maybe no response), but know each  Senator tally the messages received on each side of this issue).

SAMPLE PHONE CALL
The goal is to be counted, so a quick and courteous call is all it takes. If you get voicemail, leave your name and address in your message.

You can reach each Senator's office by calling the number provided; a staff person in the office will answer the phone. Your conversation could go something like this:
Senator's office. How can I help you?
1) Hello, I am calling to ask Senator ________ to oppose S. 2080 and H.R. 647, two versions of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act and oppose them in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where the bills are waiting for a vote.
2) Then share one sentence about how this issue affects your life to show the staffer that the issue means something to you.  Example:  I ask Senator _______ to oppose this legislation because: the bill could erase hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare fraud recoveries by leaving the definition of "serious or life-threatening illness" until after enactment. AND Palliative Care is often a dangerous path to death for people not otherwise dying who could have years to live. The bill's protective provisions in Section 5 will not stop the abuse and hastened deaths of people enrolled in hospice and palliative care.
3)  When the staffer asks  "Can I get your name and address?" Provide your name and address so your call is counted. Then express  Thanks for their time. 
 
The Bill's Opposition: Physicians, nurses, anti-euthanasia activists, including disability and aging advocates, and Pro-Lifers oppose S.2080 & HR 647. Also the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the National Association of Pro-life Nurses, Christ Medicus (Catholic health insurance alternative-medical sharing), the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition USA, Choice is an Illusion, American Life League, the Healthcare Advocacy and Leadership Organization (HALO), Hospice Patients Alliance, Life Tree, Inc., the Personhood Alliance (and their 22 state affiliates), Florida Right to Life, Texas Right to Life, New Yorker's Against Assisted Suicide and California Right to Life Advocates.

Apparent Catholic and other religious support for the bill should not be taken at face value. The Catholic Health Association came out early for Obama Care, despite it including abortion and violating religious rights and conscience. It is now supporting the recently passed House PCHETA bill which the USCCB and Catholic Medical Association oppose. The USCCB and Catholic Medical Association have thrown their weight behind S.2080, with its Section 5(b) (applies only to the Act's funds for furnishing palliative care and hospice), but the Act does not fund the furnishing of care. So, this provision is meaningless.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition USA seeks to preserve, implement and enforce legal prohibitions and ethical guidelines prohibiting euthanasia and assisted suicide.

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The Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio is an association of metropolitan, county and local pro-life organizations. RTLACO focuses on developing and strengthening local grass roots pro-life leadership, true representative governing for the statewide organization, a commitment to a consistent and holistic pro-life standard to evaluate both policies and elected officials/candidates, and collaborative engagement to develop priorities for action.
 
Cleveland Right to Life Mission

MISSION STATEMENT

WE believe that all human beings are made in the image of the Creator and must be respected and protected from the moment of conception until natural death. We know to be true that human rights begin when human life begins, as affirmed in the Declaration of Independence.  So as to foster a culture of life we promote and defend the right to life of all innocent human beings and reject such practices as abortion, euthanasia, infanticide, and same-sex marriage that are contrary to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God".  We represent pro-life citizens from over 8 counties in the region, making our organization one of the largest pro-life organizations in the State of Ohio. We focus our efforts first and foremost at the local level to achieve local solutions and then cooperate with the state and national pro-life efforts as directed and needed.

 
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