On Thursday, November 3, the New Jersey Senate held a hearing on assisted suicide in the health committee. This came after the bill passed the assembly by only one vote. Days before the hearing they had announced that there would only be a hearing and will not be holding a vote on the bill, but only an hour before the hearing was scheduled to begin they changed and announced they will be voting on the bill. In order to help pass the bill, the bill supporter made promises that certain amendments would be made that would make it harder for someone to murder an unwilling participant; however, no changes were made and the committee voted on a bill that legally allows medical insurance companies to act as witnesses that the patient willingly wanted to die and is psychologically fit to make this life-ending decision. The bill was the original one, and all promises and announcements were really a ruse.

During the hearing they alternated panels against and then in favor of the bill, giving each individual speaker about five minutes to speak. This back and forth continued until the side supporting the bill had no more speakers left, at which time the chair of the health committee announced that all remaining speakers will only get one minute to testify. The corruption was further marred by the fact that most of the senators left before the hearing was done, so only three out of nine senators were there at the end of the hearing at 5:15 p.m. The bill ended up passing by one vote with two senators who have large Jewish districts voting for the bill, Senator Codey from West Orange and Senator Gordon from Paramus. Senator Gordon, in a move to try and placate both sides, said he probably would not vote for the bill in the final vote.

Now the bill is heading to the entire New Jersey Senate and our only hope of it failing is if you and people like you call your state senators, so all senators know that we oppose this law and will oppose them if they support this law. If communities like Fair Lawn, Paramus, Teaneck, Deal, Passaic, etc. can make their legislators afraid to vote for this bill we can save the lives of thousands of innocent people.

Avraham Sharaby

Lakewood