Sen. Grassley Repeats Ridiculous Rumor That Government Will "Pull the Plug On Grandma"

Sen. Grassley: "You Have Every Right To Fear"

Sen. Grassley Told Crowd The Government Will "Pull the Plug On Grandma." According to the Iowa Independent, during a town hall event Sen. Chuck Grassley said "In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life...You have every right to fear. You shouldn't have counseling at the end of life, you should have done that 20 years before. Should not have a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma."  [Iowa Independent, 8/12/09, emphasis added]

Sen. Grassley: Some In Congress Want The Government To Decide When A Life Ends.  The Iowa Independent reported: "Democratic state Sen. Joe Bolkom of Iowa City called on Grassley to condemn those spreading lies about health care reform, pointing out that a living will provision similar to the one discussed in the U.S. House has already been passed in Iowa by 'large bipartisan majorities.' Instead, while responding to a question about older Americans being 'systematically denied health care' due to their age, Grassley fanned the flames of the rumor, telling the crowd [at a town hall event] there are many congressman who would like the government to have authority to intervene in end-of-life decisions. 'There are some people who think it is a terrible problem that grandma is laying in a bed with tubes in her... and that the government should intervene,' he said. 'I think that's a family or religious thing that needs to be dealt with.'" [Iowa Independent, 8/12/09, emphasis added]

Independent, Non-Partisan Organizations: Euthanasia Rumors Are "Ridiculous"

PolitiFact.org: Euthanasia Claims Are A "Ridiculous Falsehood."  In its response to claims made by Betsy McCaughey that the House health care reform bill would encourage euthanasia, PolitiFact.org said: "For our ruling on this one, there's really no gray area here. McCaughey incorrectly states that the bill would require Medicare patients to have these counseling sessions and she is suggesting that the government is somehow trying to interfere with a very personal decision. And her claim that the sessions would 'tell [seniors] how to end their life sooner' is an outright distortion. Rather, the sessions are an option for elderly patients who want to learn more about living wills, health care proxies and other forms of end-of-life planning. McCaughey isn't just wrong, she's spreading a ridiculous falsehood." [PolitiFact.org, 7/23/09, emphasis added]

FactCheck.org: "Government-Encouraged Euthanasia" Claims Are "A Stretch."  FactCheck.org responded to many questions about the inclusion of a euthanasia clause with: "In truth, that section of the bill would require Medicare to pay for voluntary counseling sessions helping seniors to plan for end-of-life medical care, including designating a health care proxy, choosing a hospice and making decisions about life-sustaining treatment. It would not require doctors to counsel that their patients refuse medical intervention. [...] As for the argument claiming that this is the first step on a slippery slope leading to government-encouraged euthanasia, that's a stretch. The right to draw up an advance directive is federally guaranteed, but doctor-assisted suicide is legal in only three states. It would take a lot more than Medicare-funded counseling for voluntary euthanasia to become a standard government recommendation." [FactCheck.org, 7/29/09, emphasis added]