Week 9/2017 in the Death with Dignity Movement

In the week from February 27 to March 5, 2017:

• The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor approved SB 1129 on a unanimous 4 to 0 vote. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
• A bill in Montana that would make consent not a defense for homicide charges for doctors prescribing life-ending medications to terminally ill patients first passed out of House Committee and the full House on a second reading. On the final vote the bill failed on a tie vote.
• The sponsors of the Maryland End of Life Option Act withdrew the bill from consideration.

California

• “Group rallies outside Eisenhower hospital for aid-in-dying care,” Desert Sun, 3/2/2017
• “Not an Option at EMC: Residents Protest Eisenhower’s Refusal to Support California’s New Death With Dignity Law,” CV Independent, 3/3/2017

Maryland

• “Maryland’s End of Life Option bill fails to advance for third straight year,” Washington Post, 3/3/2017
• “Maryland lawmakers will withdraw aid-in-dying legislation,” Baltimore Sun, 3/3/2017
• “Lawmakers say death with dignity law ‘just a matter of time,’ despite bill withdrawal,” Carol County Times, 3/5/2017

Minnesota

• “End-of-Life Option Act Introduced in Both the House and Senate,” Alpha News, 3/1/2017
• “Renewed push to legalize medically assisted death,” KARE 11-NBC, 3/1/2017

Montana

• “Panel OKs bill to make physician-assisted suicide illegal,” The Spokesman Review, 2/27/2017
• “Montana’s right to die law in jeopardy with new proposal,” KTVW, 2/28/2017
• “Bill saying consent not a defense for doctor-assisted suicide fails to pass House,” Missoulian, 3/1/2017
• “House votes down physician-assisted suicide bill,” Daily Inter Lake, 3/1/2017
• “Montana Lawmakers Reject Criminalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide,” Montana Public Radio, 3/1/2017
• “Billings rep. says she mistakenly voted down bill to criminalize physician assisted death,” KTVQ, 3/2/2017

Other States

• Colorado: “Pagosa Springs Medical Center opts out of aid-in-dying,” Durango Herald, 3/2/2017
• Hawaii: “Aid In Dying Bill Edges Closer To Hawaii Senate Approval,” Honolulu Civil Beat, 2/28/2017
• Illinois: “Jim Nowlan: A pill to say goodbye and the right to die,” Daily Journal, 3/3/2017
• New Mexico: “Democrats Push Assisted Suicide Proposal in New Mexico,” US News World Report (and other outlets via Associated Press), 3/3/2017
• Oregon: “Despite drawbacks, ODDA unlikely to change,” Siuslaw News, 2/28/2017
• Utah: “Op-ed: Poorly worded poll on end-of-life bill was fake news,” Salt Lake Tribune, 3/4/2017