Virginia
Virginia bishops warn of ‘deadly harm’ in new assisted suicide bill
“People facing the end of life are in great need and must be accompanied with great care and attentiveness,” Burbidge and Knestout said. “To address each of their needs and alleviate their suffering, patients deserve high quality medical, palliative, and hospice care — not suicide drugs.”
Assisted suicide in the U.S.
Besides the District of Columbia, the states where assisted suicide is legal are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington.
The Virginia bill is one of several assisted suicide bills currently being advanced by state legislatures. Lawmakers in Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts are also considering similar bills to legalize the practice of physician-assisted suicide under the name of “death with dignity” or “medical assistance in dying” (MAID).
Lucia Silecchia, a law professor specializing in Catholic social thought and a fellow at The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told CNA that “steady trends” in the U.S. and other nations have been to “ever expand such statutes.”
“In the United States, we have seen yearly increases in the number of patients opting for assisted suicide, the shortening or waiving of waiting periods, and the lifting of residency requirements,” she said.
Silecchia pointed out that “the sad irony” of the four states advancing new assisted suicide bills is that these states have “some of the most renowned medical facilities in the nation and in the world.”
“Their legislatures should be devoting their attention and resources to policies that will provide better medical care to alleviate suffering rather than moving toward this dangerous path,” Silecchia said. “For the individual who suffers, this sends a message that ending life rather than caring for it is now appropriate.”
According to Silecchia: “All people of goodwill should be concerned about these statutes because they undermine the dignity of vulnerable human life.”
“The statutes offer little by way of safeguards,” she explained. “For example, there are typically no requirements that there be a witness at the time the drugs are ingested. Thus, there is opportunity for coercive pressure to go undetected. There is very little control over what happens with unused medications and no requirements that family members be notified. Evidence also indicates that prescribing physicians are frequently those who have had no long-term relationship with the patient. Thus, they can offer no meaningful insight into the psychological well-being of those who pursue this path.”
What can Catholics do?
(Story continues below)
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Despite the dangers, Silecchia said that there is much Catholics can do to push back against the trend of expanding assisted suicide in the U.S.
On the legislative level, she said that it is important for Catholics to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities as well to advocate for access to medical care for the dying, incentives for interested people to enter the caring professions, and greater support for suicide prevention initiatives.
Catholics can advocate for the vulnerable by signing petitions such as the one organized by the Virginia bishops. Virginians can sign the petition to stop the assisted suicide bill from being passed by clicking here.
Laws, however, are only part of the battle, and Catholic action is also needed on the cultural front as well, Silecchia said.
She cited statistics taken by Oregon’s Public Health Division in 2022 that found the most cited reasons for persons opting for assisted suicide in the state were fear of being “less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable,” losing autonomy, losing dignity, and becoming a burden.
“What this suggests, culturally, is the urgent need to reconsider how we accompany those who are facing death, how human autonomy may be over-prioritized, and the way in which — intended or not — we have come to perceive that the measure of dignity and worth lies in what a person is capable of doing,” she said.
A bus driver with a history of speeding accusations was indicted on additional charges Monday in a chain-reaction crash in Virginia that killed five people and injured dozens more.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, initially was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the crash early Friday morning on Interstate 95. On Monday, a grand jury indicted him on three additional charges of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, according to a statement from the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said Dong was driving a motorcoach from New York to North Carolina when he struck a line of vehicles that had slowed down in a work zone. A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, on their way to a wedding were killed, as was a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.
Dong, who remained hospitalized Monday, previously was accused of speeding in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, in March, according to online court records. In the latter case, he is accused of driving a motorcoach 72 mph (116 kph) in a 50 mph (80 kph) zone.
In the Virginia case, Dong was convicted of driving 73 mph (117 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone and paid $219 in fines and court costs. He also has a pending case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was accused of trespassing in July.
The bus involved in Friday’s crash was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a board member said.
Court documents related to the bus crash do not list an attorney for Dong. Neither the attorney representing him in the trespassing case nor the lawyer representing him in Maryland responded to emails seeking comment Monday.
Prosecutor Eric Olsen said Dong will be transported to jail upon his release from the hospital.
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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.
(WSET) — Average gasoline prices in Virginia have fallen 23.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.15/g on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 4,081 stations in Virginia.
Prices in Virginia are 1 cent per gallon lower than a month ago and stand $1.21/g higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 15.5 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $5.437 per gallon, GasBuddy said.
SEE ALSO: Suspect in fatal shooting of Carroll County deputy captured in North Carolina
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Virginia was priced at $3.29/g on Sunday, while the most expensive was $5.59/g, a difference of $2.30/g. The lowest price in the state on Sunday was $3.29/g while the highest was $5.59/g, a difference of $2.30/g.
The national average price of gasoline has fallen 19.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.26/g on Monday. The national average is down 17.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.18/g higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.
Virginia
Deadly crashes on Interstate 95 over 2 days prompt safety concerns along Virginia’s busy corridor
CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. — Two deadly crashes on I-95 in two days are drawing attention to safety concerns along one of Virginia’s busiest corridors.
Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen authorized felony warrants charging Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Friday’s deadly bus crash in Stafford County. Additional charges are pending.
Investigators say the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed when it slammed into traffic slowing for a work zone on I-95 south, triggering a chain reaction involving at least eight vehicles.
“According to local first responders, five occupants of passenger vehicles in the traffic queue were tragically killed. Numerous other occupants, including the bus driver, were injured and some seriously,” National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said.
Family killed in I-95 bus crash was headed to wedding in South Carolina, relatives say
Family killed in I-95 bus crash was headed to wedding in South Carolina, relatives say
Among those killed was a Massachusetts family of four who were traveling to a wedding in South Carolina. A fifth victim, also from Massachusetts, was killed.
A total of 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three with critical injuries.
A woman who was on the bus described the scene in the aftermath of the crash.
“You have blood, people bleeding, people screaming, the bus smoking. A stranger came bust the window open and let us all out; I’m thankful for that,” passenger Judy said.
Dong remains hospitalized but is in custody after being served with the felony warrants. Prosecutors say more charges are possible. He will be held without bond, and his first court appearance will be scheduled once he is released from the hospital.
Then on Saturday, another deadly crash closed portions of I-95 in Caroline County.
WTVR
Christina Baker and her husband Joshua say they witnessed the crash unfold. They told us an SUV was speeding down the left shoulder of I-95 South before striking debris and losing control.
“It went down, and then it went up, and then just flew across the entire median across onto oncoming traffic going the opposite direction,” Christina Baker said. “I started screaming, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.’”
Officials say one person died and two others were hospitalized. At this time, they have not released any more information about those involved.
The crash left the Bakers wanting to remind drivers to stay alert and think of others when behind the wheel.
“People should just stay in the lanes, drive the speed limit right, and be responsible. Because I felt for a moment, I was obviously concerned for our safety as well,” Joshua Baker said.
While the cause of both crashes remains under investigation, Chapman says the NTSB is noticing many common factors when it comes to crashes on I-95, including traffic backups.
“We also want to look very closely here to issues potentially involving fatigue, driver performance, those sorts of things. And vehicle performance issues. That might include factors such as automatic braking, whether the vehicle was or was not equipped with what’s called AEB. Those are the sorts of things we want to look at here and we might be able to learn some lessons,” Chapman said.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
IN-DEPTH COVERAGE: Fatal I-95 Charter Bus Crash
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