The Lyme Democratic Town Committee has voted unanimously to support to the State Legislature’s Raised Bill #6645, which would permit doctors to prescribe medication that would be self-administered by terminally ill patients who wish to end their lives under specific circumstances.
The bill requires certification by two physicians that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less and that the patient is incurable ill, sound of mind and capable of administering the medication without assistance.
Known as the Compassionate Aid-in-Dying bill, the legislation is currently before the Public Health Committee. A public hearing was held in Hartford on March 20. If the committee approves, the bill will be debated and voted on by the full legislature. Similar laws exist in the states of Oregon, Washington and Montana and are under consideration in other states.
The Town Committee had considered an endorsement in February but decided it needed more information. Committee Chair LeRay McFarland and member Phyllis Ross attended the public hearing and obtained further information from various sources, including the organization Compassion and Choices.
With 15 year of experience with a similar law, Oregon has had fewer people choosing to end their lives than was expected. Mental health professionals have concluded that the availability of the life-ending medication for qualified patients has provided comfort to many in their last months, whether or not they choose to use it.
According to a 2012 Compassion and Choices poll of Connecticut residents, a majority of 67 percent supported compassionate aid-in-dying legislation.