The Vermont Senate voted Tuesday afternoon to advance legislation that
allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with prescription
drugs. A number of senators who were undecided on the issue made up
their minds to
support it over the weekend.
The Vermont Senate Tuesday turns to end-of-life
choices. As state senators debate a bill that would give patients with
less than six months to live the choice to end their lives with
doctor-prescribed drugs, Vermont has emerged as a key
battleground in the national debate over the issue.
Lawmakers are reconsidering the philosophical and religious exemption to the childhood immunization law in the face of a rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases. They’re also set to discuss the contentious end-of-life bill next week. VPR’s Bob Kinzel talks with Peter Biello about the week in legislative news.
We hear the debate over end-of-life rights after a week of hearings at the State House, VPR’s John Dillon provides analysis on
wind power issues and we listen back to the voices in the week’s news.
Witnesses ranging from former Gov. Madeleine
Kunin to Vermont’s current health commissioner, Dr. Harry Chen, are
scheduled to testify to a state Senate committee about legislation that would
allow physicians to help terminally ill patients end their own lives.
In
a surprise and controversial move, the Senate Health and Welfare committee has
voted in favor of the so called Death with Dignity bill. But the bill still faces many procedural hurdles
before making it to the Senate floor for debate.
One
of the most contentious bills at the Statehouse right now would allow terminally
ill patients to get medication from a doctor to end their lives, but it may not make it to the full Senate
floor.
One of the most emotional and
contentious bills in the Statehouse right now would allow terminally ill
patients to get a prescription to legally end their own lives. Supporters call
it Death with Dignity, opponents call it physician assisted suicide.