New Jersey Assembly, Senate Pass Aid in Dying Bill After Nearly 7 Years of Debate

New Jerseyans with terminal or life-shortening diseases and Compassion & Choices praised the state Assembly and Senate for passing the Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act (S1072/A1504) after nearly seven years of debate on the issue and urged Governor Phil Murphy to promptly sign it into law. The Assembly approved the bill by a 41 to 33 vote and Senate by a 21 to 16 vote. This bill would allow mentally capable, terminally ill adults with 6 months or less to live to have the option to get a doctor’s prescription for medication they can decide to take if their suffering becomes unbearable and die peacefully in their sleep. If Governor Murphy signs the bill or does not act on it within 45 days, the bill becomes the law and would take effect on the first day of the 4th month after enactment. “I am eternally grateful to the bill author, Assemblyman John Burzichelli, for tirelessly championing this legislation for nearly seven years and for every member of the legislature who voted for it,” said bill supporter Susan Boyce, a Rumson resident who has a terminal lung disease that has reduced her lung function to 29 percent (read and watch her story at bit.ly/SusanBoyceOpedVideo). “I urge Governor Murphy not to wait 45 days and to sign this bill promptly, so I have this option to ensure I don’t have to suffer needlessly at the end of my life.” Medical aid in dying has been successfully implemented for a combined 40 years in seven states, Cali...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs