JUNEAU, Alaska | An Anchorage lawmaker introduced legislation Monday that would allow terminally ill patients the right to decide to end their lives with the help of a physician.
Democratic Rep. Harriet Drummond said in a news release that it’s not suicide but rather an option for people who are already dying.
HB 99 would allow adults suffering from a terminal illness and deemed capable of making a decision to die to do so. It would allow for the person’s doctor to dispense or write a prescription for medication that would end the person’s life.
The bill defines a terminal disease as one that has been medically confirmed, is incurable and will “within reasonable medical judgment” result in death within six months. It provides immunity from civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action for acting in good faith, including being present when a person takes medication to end his or her life.
To receive life-ending medication, a person would have to make oral and written requests to his or her doctor and repeat the oral request more than 15 days after making the initial oral request. If a person cannot speak, the request must be made by some means in person. If the person cannot write, he or she can have another sign on their behalf.
The individual would be able to rescind the request at any time, the bill states. At least two witnesses would be required for the written request, only one of whom could be a relative, heir or work at the health care facility where the person is being treated or lives. The doctor would not count as a witness, the bill states.
Drummond said everyone deserves the right to make their own end-of-life choices. She said the goal is to increase patient control and reduce “unwanted and often unnecessary interventions at the end of life.”
A Colorado House committee rejected a similar proposal last week after a long day of emotional testimony from more than 100 people. Doctors who opposed the measure said it closed off the possibility of a recovery when a prognosis can sometimes be wrong.
Lawmakers in California and Pennsylvania also are considering laws to let terminally ill people get doctor-prescribed medication to die. Five states already allow patients to seek aid in dying: Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico.