This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The following is a statement I had hoped to read at the town hall meeting on Feb. 9, but was unable to because Rep. Jason Chaffetz had the audience microphones removed:
Rep. Chaffetz, one of your main chants is that the "federal government needs to stay out of our lives." Given this statement, why are you fighting the District of Columbia to overturn a law they passed to allow end-of-life options, like the residents of Oregon, California, Colorado, Vermont, Washington state and Montana have?
End-of-life options for people who have been deemed by at least two physicians to be terminally ill is a "personal freedom issue." Shouldn't people in this situation have the right to choose to end their suffering, if they so choose? Sixty-seven percent of voters in the District of Columbia and 58 percent of Utahns believe they should.
We in Utah had a similar bill this legislative session — HB76, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck. It failed to advance.
Please let the voters of the District of Columbia and in Utah decide what is best for them. We, as free adults, deserve to be able to make our own decisions.
Please work for average Americans, not against us. Thank you.
Mark Rothacher
Millcreek