Podcast Summary:

Breakpoint – Colorado and Assisted Suicide
Host: John Stonestreet, Colson Center
Date: October 30, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Stonestreet examines the troubling trajectory of assisted suicide laws in Colorado, placing them in the larger context of international trends. With a Christian worldview, he critiques the expansion of these laws, highlights real-life consequences, and calls listeners to recognize the inherent value of every human life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. International Context: The Expansion of Assisted Suicide

Canada's Example:
- In 2016, Canada legalized “medical assistance in dying (MAID)”.
- Now, “the practice accounts for 1 in 20 of all deaths in that country.” ([00:44])
- Initial restrictions continue to erode; now includes eligibility for those with mental illness (e.g., PTSD, depression).
- Quote: “Everywhere it has been legalized, the so-called right to die inevitably becomes the duty to die.” (John Stonestreet, 00:52)
- Netherlands: Reports of physicians intentionally administering lethal injections without patient request — including to children and the mentally ill.

2. Colorado’s Assisted Suicide Law and Recent Changes

Original Law: Colorado’s 2016 End of Life Options Act permitted physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs for adults with terminal diagnoses.
Recent Expansions:
- Now includes certain registered nurses as prescribers.
- “The waiting period [was] reduced from 15 days to just seven.” ([01:42])
Legal Challenges:
1. Residency Requirement Lawsuit:
  - Compassion and Choices (formerly the Hemlock Society) wants to strike down the residency requirement as discriminatory.
  - Implication: If successful, Colorado could become a “suicide tourism destination.” ([01:59])
2. Terminal Anorexia Lawsuit:
  - Seeks to restrict lethal prescriptions for severe eating disorders.
  - Doctors claim “terminal anorexia” justifies assisted suicide, arguing patients “lack the will to live and… cannot continue the fight.” ([02:17])
  - Dr. Patricia Westmoreland (psychiatrist): “Anorexia is primarily a psychiatric condition. It's treatable, not terminal.” ([02:26])
  - “Patients suffering from extreme anorexia are not mentally healthy enough to make a decision with such dire consequences.” (Dr. Westmoreland, quoted by Stonestreet, 02:34)

3. The Slippery Slope and Eroding Safeguards

Laws initially promise safeguards like waiting periods and capacity assessments, but these are quickly compromised.
Definition of “terminal” conditions keeps broadening.
Quote: “The slope of medicalized killing is always slippery. The safeguards never hold.” (John Stonestreet, 04:28)

4. Disability Rights Concerns

Institute for Patient Rights and disability advocates challenge the law as discriminatory.
- Argue it singles out individuals with disabilities, offering lethal drugs where suicide prevention would be provided to non-disabled people.
- Stonestreet: “Colorado is offering those who have disabilities the option of killing themselves… [implying] their lives are less valuable.” ([03:17])

5. Case Study: Jane Allen

29-year-old Jane Allen, with anorexia, was given a terminal diagnosis and a lethal prescription.
Her father intervened; drugs were removed by court order.
Jane’s health improved, and she lived independently for years before dying of a heart condition.
- Stonestreet: “Jane's case illustrates the problem with assisted suicide laws like Colorado's. These are laws that prey on the most vulnerable.” ([03:51])

6. Larger Implications and Christian Response

Laws like these, Stonestreet asserts, “poison family relationships,” “corrupt the medical profession,” and force doctors into deciding who is worthy of life.
Calls for Christians to affirm: “Every single life has inherent, eternal value. Lawmakers and medical professionals cannot change what the Creator has already decided.” ([04:13])
Advocates for praying for and passing laws upholding the dignity of every person “from conception to natural death.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the erosion of safeguards:
“Assisted suicide is always a slippery slope… Once passed, these laws always expand.”
— John Stonestreet (00:54)
On ‘terminal anorexia’:
“Anorexia is primarily a psychiatric condition. It's treatable, not terminal.”
— Dr. Patricia Westmoreland (quoted) (02:26)

“Patients suffering from extreme anorexia are not mentally healthy enough to make a decision with such dire consequences.”
— Dr. Patricia Westmoreland (quoted) (02:34)
On the impact for those with disabilities:
“Colorado is offering those who have disabilities the option of killing themselves… their lives are less valuable and not worth preserving.”
— John Stonestreet (03:17)
Christian teaching:
“Every single life has inherent, eternal value. Lawmakers and medical professionals cannot change what the Creator has already decided.”
— John Stonestreet (04:13)

Important Segment Timestamps

Canada’s MAID law expansion and international context: 00:44 – 01:32
Colorado’s legal and legislative changes: 01:33 – 02:09
The lawsuits in Colorado (assisted suicide tourism, ‘terminal anorexia’): 01:59 – 02:44
Disability rights challenge and Jane Allen’s story: 03:08 – 03:51
Summary and Christian perspective/response: 04:13 – 04:52

Conclusion

John Stonestreet delivers a passionate and well-supported critique of assisted suicide’s “slippery slope,” especially as witnessed in Colorado. He connects the legislative details and personal stories to a broader Christian call to uphold the equal value of all human life, advocating vigilance and compassion over acquiescence to newly legalized forms of “medicalized death.”

Transcript

A (0:03)

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B (0:44)

Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. In 2016, Canada legalized medical assistance in dying or maid. Less than a decade later, the practice accounts for 1 in 20 of all deaths in that country. Just how quickly that deadly practice expanded there underscores that everywhere it has been legalized, the so called right to die inevitably becomes the duty to die. In fact, assisted suicide is always a slippery slope. Once passed, these laws always expand. In Canada, the law was recently amended to allow anyone with a mental illness like PTSD or depression to to obtain life ending drugs. In the Netherlands, government surveys recently uncovered thousands of cases in which doctors, quote, intentionally administered lethal injections to patients without a request and that included children, the demented and the mentally ill. It was also in 2016 that Colorado voters approved the End of Life Options act, which allows physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to adult residents with so called terminal diagnoses. And a recent pair of lawsuits there demonstrate just how slippery that slope has been too. Last year, the governor signed legislation to allow some registered nurses as well as doctors to prescribe the lethal drugs and also to reduce the waiting period from 15 days to just seven. Now one of the pending lawsuits seeks to expand this law even further. The euphemistically titled group Compassion and Choices, which by the way was formerly known as the Hemlock Society, is challenging the residency requirement, arguing that it's discriminatory to prevent out of state residents from receiving drugs for assisted suicide. And if the lawsuit's successful, Colorado would then become a suicide tourism destination, allowing individuals anywhere in the US to show called shop for death there. The other Colorado lawsuit is seeking to curb the disturbing trend of prescribing lethal doses to patients with severe eating disorders under the guise of what's called terminal anorexia. Some doctors are claiming that due to long term effects of malnutrition, there are Patients there who lack the will to live and who, quote, unquote, simply cannot continue the fight. However, according to Denver based psychiatrist Dr. Patricia Westmoreland, anorexia is primarily a psychiatric condition. It's treatable, not terminal. Even more, according to Dr. Westmoreland, and I quote, patients suffering from extreme anorexia are not mentally healthy enough to make a decision with such dire consequences. Now, doctor Assisted death is always sold to the public with promises of safeguards like consent, but those safeguards are always quickly compromised. So is the meaning of which conditions are considered to be, quote, unquote, terminal. Predictably, Colorado has followed the same troubling global trends as everywhere else that medicalized death has been legalized. Behind the second lawsuit to challenge Colorado's assisted suicide law is a group of disability rights advocates led by the Institute for Pay Patients Rights. Their claim is that this law inherently discriminates against people with disabilities by singling out individuals with disabilities or medical conditions who struggle with depression and other mental health issues, including suicidal ideation. In other words, rather than offering mental health care and suicide prevention services like it does for non disabled people who express a wish to die, Colorado is offering those who have disabilities the option of killing themselves. In effect, Colorado law is telling people with disabilities that their lives are less valuable and not worth preserving. At the center of this case is the story of Jane Allen, a 29 year old woman who struggled with anorexia in the midst of her mental health crisis. A Colorado doctor diagnosed her with terminal anorexia and issued her a lethal prescription. Thankfully, Jane's father intervened. Court ordered the drugs be removed from her possession. That saved Jane's life. Her health then improved and she was able to live independently before she tragically died of a related heart condition just a couple years later. Now Jane's case illustrates the problem with assisted suicide laws like Colorado's. These are laws that prey on the most vulnerable. These are laws that poison family relationships. These are laws that corrupt the medical profession. Rather than embracing the call to heal, doctors are forced to become dispensers of death. Even worse, they're forced to decide whose life is worth living and whose isn't. This is not care. This is not medicine. Every single life has inherent, eternal value. Lawmakers and medical professionals cannot change what the Creator has already decided. So Christians have to be clear on what's true about human value. The slope of medicalized killing is always slippery. The safeguards never hold. Christians must pray for and push for laws that recognize the central truth that every single human being, from conception to natural death is made in God's image and is worthy of life. Even more importantly, believers must be discipled in this essential and consequential doctrine so that the unjust taking of life will never be accepted as normal, even if it's made legal. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored with Inspir. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for a version of this commentary that you can download and share with others, go to breakpoint.org.