- The Minnesota Legislature has begun debating whether the state should allow physician-assisted suicide.
- The House Health Committee held a hearing before Congress.
- Democratic Rep. Mike Freiberg, the lead sponsor, cited positive experiences in states such as Oregon and Washington with similar laws.
The Minnesota Legislature on Thursday began debating whether the state should join the list of states that allow physician-assisted suicide.
The House Health Committee took the unusual step of holding a hearing on the bill even before Congress officially convenes on February 12th. “We're not going to be able to do that,” said Rep. Mike Freiberg, D-Golden Valley, the lead sponsor of a similar proposal that was first introduced in 2015. He said in a preliminary press conference that he was confident it would pass the House at least by the end of the year. Years of experience in states with similar laws, such as Oregon and Washington, show that the law works as intended and is used only for a limited group of patients with terminal illnesses. He said that it has been done.
Nancy Unde, of Corcoran, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in late 2022, told reporters that she wants the right to choose a peaceful and painless death.
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“This bill has been in the Minnesota Legislature for 10 years now. It's time to act,” Unde said. “When I imagine the end of my life, I want to say goodbye and depart peacefully. I'm grateful that hospice is an option. I use hospice for as much comfort as possible. But , if we can do that, it's still not enough, we ultimately want the option of dying peacefully in our sleep.”
Nancy Ande of Corcoran, Minnesota, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in late 2022, will speak at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 25, 2024. She's already joined by 10 states and the District of Columbia. The bill would allow some types of physician-assisted suicide, but her supporters are planning a new push to pass assisted suicide laws in several other states this year. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Ten states and the District of Columbia already allow some form of physician-assisted suicide, and advocates plan to introduce new advances in several other states this year. Oregon was the first state to legalize it in 1994. Vermont lifted its residency requirement last May, and Oregon lifted its residency requirement in 2022.
New York's bill has been stalled for years, but is slowly gaining momentum as more lawmakers sign on as sponsors. Advocates in Connecticut held a news conference two weeks ago to announce a new initiative after it passed in one committee last year but stalled in another. Earlier this month, a terminally ill woman from Connecticut made headlines when she traveled to Vermont to end her own life.
A Minnesota bill would allow patients 18 and older with a terminal illness and less than six months to live to obtain a drug they could take to end their own life. The safeguards include a requirement that her two health care providers (one of whom must be a physician) must certify that the patient meets the criteria. Patients with dementia are not eligible because patients must have the mental capacity to make their own medical decisions and provide informed consent. They have to take their own medication. The bill does not require patients to be Minnesota residents.
Freiberg is optimistic because his bill already has about 25 co-sponsors and is consistent with the Bodily Autonomy Act (abortion and transgender rights bills) passed last year. He said that. But the outlook is less clear in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim one-seat majority and Democratic Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin has already opposed the proposal.
Freiberg said he expects to receive support from Republicans. But none of the committee's Republicans were present at the start of the hearing, which drew a packed crowd and a long list of witnesses, but they arrived late and said they wanted to soften the bill's impact. A proposed amendment was submitted.
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“Intentionally ending someone's life is wrong. It doesn't matter what we call it,” said Chris Massoglia, a Blaine resident and president of Americans United for Life. He testified. “Suicide is not medical, and advances in palliative care and end-of-life care make it completely unnecessary.”
Nancy Utoft, president of the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Medicine, said in a preliminary press conference that the bill lacks sufficient safeguards to protect the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable populations. She said current law already gives people the right to make legally binding end-of-life care instructions, the right to receive hospice or palliative care, and the right to refuse care.
“If these rights were better known and enforced, we wouldn't hear the heartbreaking stories of overtreatment so often told by assisted suicide advocates,” Utoft said. “Let’s prioritize policies that promote better care for everyone.”
