Lawmakers must decide whether to give the legal nod to a right to die bill currently working through the State House.
The Health and Social Services Committee yesterday reviewed Rep. Harriet Drummond’s bill to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives with the help of a physician.
17 U.S. states are considering similar measures. Oregon implemented the Death with Dignity Act in 1997 and since then has registered 750 physician-assisted deaths.
Washington and Vermont have similar statutes, as does New Mexico where there is a current appeal. In Montana, doctors cannot be prosecuted for writing lethal prescriptions at a patient’s request, but there is no official “right to die” bill.
The House Committee took comments yesterday where public opinion was split. Roughly half were in favor of the bill, most testifying that it would have helped a relative.
Those in opposition to the law were concerned about potential abuses.