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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 3 May 2023

Vermont allows out-of-staters to use assisted suicide law

By LISA RATHKE Witnesses must sign and af-
Associated Press firm that patients appeared
Vermont on Tuesday be- to understand the nature
came the first state in the of the document and were
country to change its medi- free from duress or undue
cally assisted suicide law to influence at the time.
allow terminally ill people Lynda Bluestein, 75, of
from out of state to take Bridgeport, Connecticut,
advantage of it to end their and Diana Barnard, a phy-
lives. sician from Middlebury,
Republican Gov. Phil Scott sued Vermont in federal
signed the bill that removes court last summer, claiming
the residency requirement its residency requirement
for the decades-old law. violated the Constitution’s
Last year in a court settle- commerce, equal protec-
ment, Oregon agreed to tion, and privileges and im-
stop enforcing the residen- munities clauses. Barnard
cy requirement of its law al- specializes in hospice and
lowing terminally ill people palliative care and has
to receive lethal medica- patients from neighboring
tion. It also agreed to ask New York state, which, like
the Legislature to remove it Connecticut, doesn’t allow
from the law. medically assisted suicide.
Before Vermont removed The Vermont State House stands on Feb. 14, 2023, in Montpelier, Vt. Bluestein said Tuesday that
its residency requirement Associated Press the change in Vermont
Tuesday, it had reached means that so many other
a settlement with a Con- to utilize the best health- tee, testified before a legis- end a patient’s life. Sup- people in the Northeast
necticut woman who has care options. There is no ra- lative committee in March porters of Vermont’s medi- can take advantage of the
terminal cancer to allow tional reason they shouldn’t that the practice “was, and cally assisted suicide law state’s law.
her to take advantage of be able to travel to another remains, a matter of con- say it has stringent safe- “I’m thinking even more
its law, provided she com- state to access medical tention.” “To be clear, Ver- guards, including a require- importantly that this is go-
plies with other aspects of aid in dying if the state they mont Right to Life opposed ment that those who seek ing to cause other states,
it. “We are grateful to Ver- live in doesn’t offer it.” the underlying concept to use it be capable of the other jurisdictions that
mont lawmakers for recog- Vermont is one of 10 states behind assisted suicide making and communicat- have medical aid in dying,
nizing that a state border that allow medically assist- and opposes the move to ing their health care deci- to look at their residency
shouldn’t determine if you ed suicide. remove the residency re- sion to a physician. Patients requirement, too,” she said.
die peacefully or in ago- Critics of such laws say with- quirement as there are still are required to make two For Cassandra Johnston,
ny,” said Kim Callinan, pres- out the residency require- no safeguards that protect requests orally to the phy- 38, of Clifton Park, New
ident and CEO of Compas- ments states risk becom- vulnerable patients from sician over a certain time- York, the news was “such a
sion & Choices, a nonprofit ing assisted suicide tourism coercion,” said Beerworth, frame and then submit a relief.” She was diagnosed
advocacy organization, in destinations. adding she had a number written request that they with stage 3 breast cancer
a statement. “Patients rou- Mary Hahn Beerworth, ex- of concerns including what signed in the presence of last year and lives a 40-min-
tinely travel to other states ecutive director of the Ver- liability Vermont could in- two or more witnesses who ute drive from Vermont.q
mont Right to Life Commit- cur if the drugs failed to aren’t interested parties.

The balloon that flew over Hawaii? U.S. says it’s not China’s

By LOLITA C. BALDOR Defense Department and tracking a balloon that the balloon was floating at down what officials said
Associated Press the Federal Aviation Ad- was flying off the coast of about 36,000 feet (11,000 was a Chinese spy balloon
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ministration have been Hawaii last week, but a meters), and it did not fly that crossed Alaska and
defense official said Tues- over any critical defense part of Canada before re-
day there’s no indication infrastructure or sensitive turning to the U.S. and trig-
it is connected to China or sites. After determining that gering widespread interest
any other adversary, and it the balloon presented no as it flew across the coun-
presents no threats to avia- threat to people on the try.
tion or national security. ground or to aviation over It was shot down over the
The balloon was first de- Hawaii, the military took no Atlantic off the South Caro-
tected by radar on Friday action to bring it down, said lina coast on Feb. 4. Large
and “Pacific Air Forces the official, who spoke on portions of the balloon
launched three F-22s to as- condition of anonymity to were recovered by the U.S.
sess the situation and visu- discuss military operations. military.
ally identified a spherical It’s not clear who owns the U.S. officials said it was
object,” U.S. Indo-Pacific balloon, which has now equipped to detect and
Command said. “We moni- passed out of Hawaii’s air- collect intelligence signals
tored the transit of the ob- space, the official said. as part of a huge, military-
A fighter jet flies past the remnants of a large balloon after it ject and assessed that it The latest balloon sighting linked aerial surveillance
was shot down above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of posed no threat.” comes about three months program that targeted
South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, Feb. 4, 2023. The defense official said after the U.S. military shot more than 40 countries. q
Associated Press