- Target:
- Representative John Nygren
- Region:
- United States of America
Calling 911 to save a life should NEVER be a crime. Currently Wisconsin’s 911 Good Samaritan law has too many loop holes and people continue to be arrested for trying to save a life from a drug overdose. We MUST amend the 911 Good Samaritan Law to increase the number of people whose lives are saved from a drug overdose.
Many Wisconsin families are losing their precious family members to a SENSELESS and PREVENTABLE drug overdose. Here’s why the amendments are needed:
The HOPE LAW (ACT 194) passed in April 2014:
* DOES NOT protect a person who is overdosing and in need of medical assistance from criminal charges or prosecution for possession of a controlled substance.
The HOPE LAW DOES NOT prevent arrest for:
* Probation & parole violations--BEING AROUND OR USING DRUGS IS A VIOLATION.
* Selling or giving another person controlled substances.
* Causing injury or death giving another person controlled substances
* Other non-drug related crimes, e.g. weapon possession, driving under the influence.
Thirty-six states including Wisconsin have enacted the 911 Good Samaritan Law to encourage people to call 911 in the event of a drug overdose. Currently, 15 states and Washington DC provide full immunity to someone on probation or parole, Wisconsin isn’t one of those states. Wisconsin’s 911 Good Samaritan Law is open to interpretation by law enforcement officers, as well as probation and parole officers.
Wisconsin MUST join the other 15 states and Washington DC by providing full immunity to someone on probation or parole who calls 911 to save a life from a drug overdose.
Additionally, the overdose victim MUST be allowed immunity from arrest, as it does in several other states. Other states also take into consideration mitigating factors in sentencing. NOW is the TIME for WISCONSIN to shift its focus from AMBIGUITY and FEAR to SOLUTIONS that save lives.
• Saving lives comes first and is far more important than punishing the “criminal” behavior(s).
• Recognizing an overdose as a life threatening emergency and not a crime scene, essentially takes the fear out of calling 911.
• Countless people on probation/parole will hesitate to call 911. Consequently, these scenarios result in the “aider” choosing to leave the scene where an overdose victim is located to save themselves from getting in trouble with the law.
• Everyone NEEDS to be aware that the consequences are exponentially greater if the overdose victim dies. Calling 911 without hesitation increases the odds that a life will be saved.
• It’s better for taxpayers and ALL humanity to provide full immunity to those who call 911 to save a life.
Sign the petition TODAY to amend Wisconsin’s Good Samaritan Law! The proposed amendments would remove the fear felt by people who hesitate to save someone’s life from a drug overdose. The amendments would provide immunity to the overdose victim, people on probation and parole, who call 911 to save a life in the event of an overdose.
These amendments are already in place and are working to save lives in approximately half the states with 911 Good Samaritan Laws.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Amend Wisconsin's 911 Good Samaritan Law petition to Representative John Nygren was written by We Hate Heroin LLC and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.