Nevada senate approves physician aid-in-dying bill News
Nevada senate approves physician aid-in-dying bill

[JURIST] The Nevada Senate [official website] voted 11-10 on Tuesday to approve a bill [text, PDF] that would allow terminally ill patients the option to end their life. The bill would allow, but does not require, doctors to prescribe [USA Today report] pharmaceuticals intended to end the patient’s life. In order to be found competent, two doctors must diagnose the patient with a terminal illness and the patient must be at least 18 years of age. Those who voted in favor of the bill have stated that the primary purpose of the bill was to give terminally-ill patients personal control over receiving life-ending treatment. If the bill becomes law, Nevada would become the seventh state in the country to legalize the “right-to-die” [JURIST news archive].

The right to die has a tumultuous history around the would. In 2013, the Supreme Court of Ireland rejected an appeal [JURIST report] by a paralyzed woman seeking to allow her partner to help her commit suicide. Although Ireland decriminalized suicide in 1993, it is still a crime to assist another to commit suicide. In 2015, guest columnist Kathryn L. Tucker of End of Life Liberty Project explained the 2015 California legislation [JURIST op-ed], which has allowed for options to help patients who wish to achieve a peaceful death. In 2016 the District of Columbia Council [official website] approved a “Death with Dignity” bill [text, PDF] that would allow terminally ill patients to end their own lives with a physician’s help. In February of this year, Montana introduced HB 536 [text, PDF], which would allow homicide charges to be brought against doctors engaged in physician-assisted suicide and would run against the current policy that allows life-ending options.

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