By Peg Sandeen, Chief Executive Officer, Death with Dignity

Without question, Death with Dignity supports our Minneapolis-based employees whose city has found itself in the crosshairs of a debate about federal policing authority. A general strike has been called for Friday, January 23 to draw attention to the federal intervention in Minneapolis, and all Death with Dignity employees will be joining in the strike in support of our Minnesota colleagues.

On the surface, the role of ICE, immigration enforcement, and the deployment of federal troops have nothing to do with Death with Dignity, but if you peel back the policy layers, the connections become exceedingly clear. 

Three distinct threads weave the issues together.

States’ Rights

In 1997, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in a 9-0 decision that Death with Dignity is not legal federally, but rather is a question of states’ rights. In fact, we were one of the first issues SCOTUS kicked into the states’ rights bucket in the modern debate over federalism. Over time, other issues were left to the power of the states, and most recently, Roe v. Wade was overturned by SCOTUS using states’ rights rhetoric. 

Being relegated to a states’ rights position has been challenging for our movement. We have to win a tough, multi-year legislative campaign in every state, all the while battling religiously-motivated opponents who have power and money.

When we look at what’s happening in Minneapolis, we are shocked and dismayed by the federal intervention. The federal government CANNOT have it both ways, arguing that some issues don’t have federal authorization because of states’ rights AND that other issues, like policing, which constitutionally fall to the states, are suddenly under the purview of the federal government.

The Federal Budget

Last year’s budget bill, dubbed the Big Beautiful Bill by this administration, was devastating for people who are dying and for those with chronic health conditions. Insurance benefits under the Affordable Care Act were slashed through changes in tax policy, dramatically increasing the number of people who are uninsured in this country–a devastating situation for people who are sick and who are dying.

Research dollars targeted at new treatments and cures for conditions that are deeply impactful to those who are dying were slashed: dementia research, Alzheimer’s treatment, research studies exploring ALS and motorneuron diseases–all were cut deeply.

Funding for staff at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and skilled nursing facilities were all cut in the Big Beautiful Bill. While these facilities frequently block medical aid in dying, a source of frustration for our movement, we recognize their critical role in the end-of-life care and long-term care space.

What did all these health-related cuts make room for? ICE authorities and federal troops. This is this administration’s Faustian bargain–trading quality healthcare for middle class and impoverished Americans for a federalized police force focused on immigration.

A Life with Dignity. A Death with Dignity.

We watched the video of Renee Good being shot by federal troops—we saw it with our own eyes. The propaganda used to defend the shooter is extreme, attempting to convince people to question what they are seeing.

We advocate for Death with Dignity, but we know there is no Death with Dignity when people are unable to live with dignity. Renee Good did not experience a dignified death, one surrounded by family members at the end of her life, and one under her control. 

Death with Dignity is joining the general strike on Friday, January 23—for our employees who live in Minneapolis, for those with a disease whose research funding stream was destroyed in the 2025 federal budget, for those who are dying who lost their health insurance under ACA cuts, for those who can’t find an appropriately-staffed assisted living facility for their loved one, and for all of us who deserve a Death with Dignity, and a life with dignity, too.