Expansion Bill Dead

 

By Barbara Lyons (pictured here)

The Washington State expansion of assisted suicide bill, HB 1141, is dead. It passed in the House by a 60-37 vote and cleared several Senate committees.  

Thanks to the dedicated, persistent work of a diverse coalition of people in the disability rights, medical, right-to-life and faith communities, the Senate adjourned last night without taking up the bill. It is dead for this session.  

The bill’s dangerous expansions included: reducing patient waiting times from 15 days to three days, allowing non-physicians to make terminal diagnoses and prescribe lethal drugs, and allowing for the lethal drugs to be shipped through the postal service rather than obtained in-person. Many thanks and congratulations to the coalition which led this successful effort!