New Hampshire should follow Maine and pass ‘Death with Dignity’ law
Jan. 10 − To the Editor:
I am a high school student from Maine studying voluntary euthanasia for my Preparation for Citizenship class at York High School. I believe that New Hampshire should legalize voluntary euthanasia. In Maine, voluntary euthanasia was legalized in 2020 in our “Die with Dignity” law, and since then, more than 100 terminally ill Mainers have used the law. I believe that it would be more morally incorrect to deny someone their right to live with freedom and die. A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that around 75% of patients requesting euthanasia cited unbearable suffering and unmanageable pain as primary reasons for seeking to end their lives. Of course, strict regulations have to be in place ensuring that the practice is not taken advantage of. In Maine, these regulations require the patient to be a competent adult, suffering from a terminal illness. The patient must show no signs of depression and receive a second opinion. There is also a long waiting period, giving the patient time to change their mind. Multiple requests for the procedure have to be sent, both oral and written.
Since the Netherlands legalized voluntary euthanasia in 2002, there has been a steady increase in those requesting voluntary euthanasia (National Library of Medicine). This shows that as people learn more about the practice, they become more open to it. Ask you, the reader, to learn more about voluntary euthanasia and see the mercy it offers those who are terminally ill.
If New Hampshire were to legalize voluntary euthanasia, terminally ill patients would be able to die mercifully, putting an end to their pain and suffering. In other words, Live Free Or Die could become Live Free Or Die Or Both.
Hannah Moroney, Class of 2025
York High School
Letter: In Maine, voluntary euthanasia was legalized in 2020 in our “Die with Dignity” law, and since then, more than 100 terminally ill Mainers have used the law.
Local opinion pieces are better than national
Jan. 10 – To the Editor:
I understand that Seacoast Media Group is part of the USA Today Network and operated by Gannett Company, Inc. but I feel as if the opinions of New Hampshire readers are of more interest and importance than those of the national editorialists. Take for example the editorial pieces by Ingrid Jaques of USA Today which appear often in The Portsmouth Herald and are completely biased and void of any meaningful content other than the usual Conservative propaganda talking points. If you feel that we need more national opinion pieces, I suggest more Rex Huppke of USA Today, who at least injects humor and does not take himself too seriously. Given what I read today regarding the “Columns you read most in 2024” by the Opinion staff at USA Today, Rex Huppke had five of top ten editorial pieces of 2024.
In another Ingrid Jaques editorial, she calls President Joe Biden a liar (which is laughable in comparison to our former president). She writes, “Joe Biden has repeatedly lied to Americans about matters of major importance, from his ability to continue as president to his plans for giving Hunter special treatment.” Or this “astute” opinion headline stating that “Harris lost because she was a bad candidate. Don’t blame white women for that.” (She was in fact an excellent candidate who ran a positive campaign, based on hope and unity.) Ingrid Jaques started off the new year with her lame suggestion that we “give Trump a chance,” comparing this with John Lennon’s anthem, Give Peace A Chance. (John Lennon would not have approved.) In today’s paper we have another USA columnist, Nicole Russell starting off the New Year lecturing about the lies of the Democrats and how she won’t “forget the gaslighting” by the Democrats. Once again, there is nothing insightful or thought provoking, only right-wing bias. (I heartily disagree with Nicole Russell that our country being more like Texas would be good thing.)
I understand allotting space for an extended opinion column by the far-right local Steve Bannon like character who is the chairman of the Portsmouth Republican party who entertains us with laughable tales of our happy go lucky, entertaining president-elect but Ingrid Jaques and Nicole Russell only serve up right wing red meat.
I hope our local editions will feature fewer USA Today editorials but if they feel that we need more national perspective, I suggest more Rex Huppke. However, I am more inclined to read a long-byline opinion column from a local resident who presents noteworthy facts and insights rather than a national columnist who gives us nothing more than fact-challenged Conservative propaganda.
Stephen Philp
Portsmouth
Editor’s note: Local opinion was scarce during the Christmas and New Year holiday and opinion from USA TODAY was used during this time period to supplement our offerings.
Tax cuts for the rich by NH GOP coming home to roost
Jan. 13 − To the Editor:
For most Granite Staters, the toil of our daily work and the priorities of our families prevents us from unpacking the black box of state government, yet we all experience the results of Concord’s legislation.
Whereas rising tides lift all boats, we all pay for the shoplifting of tax payer dollars to benefit special interests and rich influential cronies.
The GOP has been governing New Hampshire for the past eight years. While the budget has been artificially enriched by federal COVID funding, spending on private school vouchers, business tax cuts, and other special interests have yet to be reckoned.
Now, going into the next GOP administration, with COVID money dried up, the legislative decisions made over the past eight years are coming home to roost.
Keep your eyes on your roads, public services and especially property taxes as the canaries in the state legislatures’ coal mines begin to drop.
Cutting resources for our mutual benefit to sustain our infrastructure and preserve our competitiveness has been the tired response to budget deficits. Perhaps a more critical evaluation of our selective spending and tax give aways would be a more effective approach to our current fiscal troubles. We will all pay for the state’s GOP run away mismanagement unless we demand more accountability and responsible governance.
Ken Cohen
Kensington
The hijacking of the Republican Party
Jan. 13 — To the Editor:
My, how hijacking has changed. When David Koch ran for vice-president as a Libertarian in 1980, he got about one percent of the vote.
Ross Perot ran for president in 1992 and got about 19% of the vote. In 1996 he only got about 8%. Donald Trump was once a member of Perot’s Reform Party.
Lesson learned; you need to hijack an existing party.
The Tea Party was born. The Koch brothers and other billionaires came up with the Tea Party and Americans For Prosperity to hijack the Republican Party.
Based on the Tea Party and Americans For Prosperity successes, a little of Ronald Reagan’s Make America Great was co-opted as well.
MAGA appeared to hijack the Tea Party and the rest is history. Charles Koch even had a Mea Culpa a few years back when he realized the harm he had done. A man who just promoted “free market principles” is now staring down potential tariffs.
Growing up, there was much hijacking going on to the point where in today’s media, hijacking a plane to Cuba would be a meme. Hijackers don’t know how to build a plane or fly a plane, they just make it go to where they want to go by threats of force. Today’s political hijackers don’t know how government works or how to run government, but they certainly want it to take them to their intended destination. Unfortunately, many of the US “passengers” don’t want to go where the hijackers are taking us.
Don Cavallaro
Rye
Shift how we perceive the world
Jan. 13 − To the Editor:
My word for 2025 is “intentions.”
Unlike the social norm of New Year’s resolutions, a shift towards intentions will set us up for success.
The idea of 1,460 intentions was birthed from the mathematical equation of three-hundred, and sixty-five days multiplied by four. This journey is an all-inclusive, invitation to collectively be the change we wish to see in this world.
In my heart, I know so many of us seek the same things: good health, love, peace, respect, kindness, community, family, a sense of autonomy, grace, and more.
We have the power to commit to and engage in 1,460 intentions as individuals, and, well over two-million intentions if 1,460 humans join us.
I am not a wordsmith. I do try my best to communicate my thoughts through the written word. If I fell short, my invitation now comes with permission to create your own artistic expression of 1,460 commitments and intentions in order to pique the interest of others. Perhaps your creative expression of this content will be the catalyst for the change this world needs.
This suggestion is an opportunity to create an energetic shift in how we perceive the world.
Intentions can be cost effective such as prayer, breath work, being out in nature, Metta Meditation, or meeting a friend for a walk. Or, it could be a nominal investment of time and / or money such as volunteer one shift a week at a local non-profit, or donate money to a non-profit that speaks to your heart. This creative adventure can be whatever your heart whispers to you, that you affirm, is going to make this world a better place.
Onward we go.
Suzanne Barton
Rye
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH should follow Maine and pass ‘Death with Dignity’ law: Letters