Under the assisted-suicide bill (House Bill 2739, H.D. 1), a death certificate must certify falsely that the terminal illness, not lethal drugs, was the “immediate” cause of death. The bill prohibits “coercing” a person to request lethal drugs, but it does not prohibit undue influence toward that end that would invalidate a will or a contract.

The “safeguards” may be adequate for patients of sound mind, but the bill devalues the lives of those who are vulnerable to others, especially the frail elderly and disabled. At the very least, death certificates should state the true cause of death (lethal drugs), and undue influence that leads to assisted suicide should be a crime.

The Legislature will probably deal with this subject in the future as the culture of death crowds out the sanctity of life. Personal autonomy is fine, but what about those who cannot defend themselves?

John P. Dellera

Kahala

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Death with dignity nothing like suicide

Controversial topics invite contentious debate. Sides are taken and camps dig in. Such is the case with the medically assisted death legislation now being debated by our elected lawmakers (“Bill goes to full House for vote,” Star-Advertiser, March 1).

Although I encourage healthy debate, I simply can’t accept the positions taken by some opponents of this bill.

“It’s akin to suicide,” they opine. Seriously? There is absolutely no comparison. I know.

My birth mother committed suicide. The trauma. The drama. The shock. The total lack of understanding or preparedness. Survivors of suicide are left to pick up the pieces, if that’s even possible.

Death with dignity, by stark comparison and contrast, is carefully thought out, planned and supported. Survivors are left comforted and at peace that their loved one was in control, and rationally decided what was best for everyone.

Do the right thing, Hawaii lawmakers. Pass this bill.

P. Gregory Frey

Hawaii Kai

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Pacific states should unite against nukes

Today’s nuclear arms race poses the most immediate threat to the end of history (“Pacific nuclear fears,” Star-Advertiser, Insight, Feb. 26).

No other people in history have the capacity to destroy life on Earth as we have today. The tragedy of the people of Bikini is a warning to the rest of the world of the disregard the superpowers have for human life. The people of the Pacific have suffered as living guinea pigs from nuclear testing, fallout and radiation poisoning. Tests have vaporized their reefs, poisoned their lagoons, and destroyed the ecological system of their islands.

It is time to explore the possibility of forming a Pacific Federated States of Pacific states as a cooperative regional body in order to prevent foreign governments from destroying our way of life. This idea was made public by the ‘Ohana ‘O Hawai‘i during the Native Hawaiian Rights Conference at Kamehameha Schools on Aug. 5, 1988.

Johnny Isidro M. Verzon

Hawaii Kai

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Teachers shouldn’t have to carry a gun

First: Teachers did not sign up for their job to carry guns. They signed up to teach and only teach.

Second: What would happen if an unruly student runs circles around those teachers and grabs the gun? Then what?

Third: I’m a firm believer that discipline starts at home. These parents need to get real and stop trying to be their kids’ friend. They are not friends. They are the parents, and they need to be parents first.

Fourth: Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, whether they be mentally ill, sane or insane. Complete background checks need to be done.

Cindy Au

Kapahulu

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Science trumps sunscreen makers

Jay Sirois took half his article to get to his point: he believes oxybenzone and octinoxate are being falsely blamed for coral reef damage (“Healthy people, places include sunscreen,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 28).

He said “every expert in Hawaii and around the world agrees the leading causes of coral damage” are other factors, including climate change and pollution. So I looked up his employer, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

It describes itself as a member- based trade association representing the leading manu- facturers and marketers of over-the-counter medicines. These would be lobbyists, yes?

I bet those manufacturers make the sunscreens he is chastising our lawmakers for wanting to ban.

Then I looked up “toxicity to coral reefs from oxybenzone.” There appeared many recent, scholarly (their word) articles from Nature, Time, NPR, NOAA.

A quick read of those will inform one that it will be helpful to ban those two sunscreens and soon. Other causes, such as cesspools and chemical runoff, will take a lot more arguing and legislation.

Debbie Aldrich

Haleiwa

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A&B can afford to save Pali Lanes

Two important articles in the March 1 Star-Advertiser are clearly linked.

The first article showed that people are trying to persuade landowner Alexander & Baldwin to let the Pali Lanes bowling alley continue to operate, because it is still making a profit (“Supporters of Pali Lanes deliver petition to save alley”).

Pali Lanes serves as a valued recreational center for a wide range of customers, including schoolchildren, seniors, people with handicaps, visitors and locals, regular bowling leagues, birthday parties, class reunions and more.

In short, it is much more than a bowling alley, so closing it down should not simply be about increasing rent profits.

The other article points out that, because Congress recently gave corporations almost a 50 percent tax cut, A&B received an enormous financial windfall (“A&B profit soars after tax benefit”). It should share that generosity with the local community and allow Pali Lanes to continue serving its needs.

David Chappell

Kaneohe