Confirmation that Adventist Health Will Allow Killing

Hello petition supporters. In a strange twist of irony, I have received confirmation that AH's new corporate policy does indeed allow for assisted suicide, from an unlikely source: the pro-euthanasia group Compassion and Choices (the instigator of assisted suicide legislation around our country). After months of mixed messages from AH's leadership, Compassion and Choices boldly proclaimed victory last Friday in its newsletter, claiming to have persuaded Adventist Health to overturn its 20+-year ban on the practice. Read for yourself here: https://www.compassionandchoices.org/major-health-system-removes-ban-on-medical-aid-in-dying/ Despite this tragic departure from its faith-based mission, we must not give up. You can still contact those in corporate leadership and express your discontent with their decision. Here are two contacts to get you started: 1.) Corporate Communications 916-781-4756 CorpComm@ah.org 2.) Scott Reiner, President (916) 781-2000 tuacj@ah.org Also, and perhaps even more importantly, you can contact your closest Adventist Health facility and urge the leadership to write a more restrictive policy that protects the local community. Just visit the main webpage and click on the "Locations" link for a full list of all locations: https://www.adventisthealth.org/pages/home.aspx Once you click on a location, look for the "Leadership" link to determine who the decision-makers are in that area. Because the corporate policy opens the door for participation but does not mandate it, each facility should still have the right to create a more restrictive policy--one that incorporates the requests made in our petition. Several advocates have joined with me in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties to continue putting pressure on Sonora Regional Medical Center to do the right thing and opt out of killing--to the full extent that the law allows. We have collected close to 300 local signatures (in addition to the ones here), have held a rally in front of the hospital, and continue to negotiate with the SRMC leadership team. The faith community--including half a dozen pastors--is coming together to educate the community and to be a voice of conscience. I believe that good things--and unexpected things--are going to happen. You have the power to do the same in your local community. As the CA director of Compassion and Choices gushed about his own advocacy efforts, "one person will come along who writes the right letter that ends up on the right desk at the right moment, and everything changes for tens of thousands of people immediately. It’s pretty incredible." How about we show them that we are just as committed to the cause of life? As always, thank you for your support! Jennifer Warner