On March 27, Bill H.R. 748 - CARES Act was passed and signed into law. This Act included emergency measures concerning the Coronavirus crisis which included expanding the use of telehealth.

The assisted suicide lobby has been promoting the use of telehealth for approving lethal drug cocktails for assisted suicide for several years.

The assisted suicide lobby thanked Congressional leaders for expanding access to telehealth during the Coronavirus crisis. The assisted suicide lobby interprets the CARES Act as also permitting approvals for assisted suicide by telehealth.

We understand the need to expand telehealth services during the Coronavirus crisis but assisting a suicide is not medical treatment and it is not a form of healthcare.

Approving assisted suicide by telehealth means that a doctor could prescribe a lethal drug cocktail without examining the patient to confirm the medical diagnosis.

Medical misdiagnosis is an important issue. Data indicates that 12 million Americans are affected by medical misdiagnosis each year and 40,000 to 80,000 Americans die annually from medical misdiagnosis. (Link).

Heathcare regulation and terminology must not permit approving or prescribing assisted suicide by telehealth.

For more information see:

• Assisted suicide by telehealth and medical misdiagnosis (Link).
• Assisted suicide lobby is using Coronavirus crisis to promote assisting suicide by telehealth (Link).
• Death doctors use Coronavirus to permit "aid-in-dying" by telehealth (Link).