A Washington House committee has advanced a bill that would make changes to the state’s Death with Dignity Act, which took effect 14 years ago.
“What we found in studying this is that the end of life services have been disproportionately available to wealthier Washingtonians, white Washingtonians, those living in urban areas, and leaving out many people who would seek this care," said Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) before the House Health Care and Wellness Committee voted to send the bill to the full House of Representatives.
The current law allows terminally ill people with fewer than six months to live to ask their doctors for life-ending drugs. Patients must make one oral and two written requests for drugs at least 15 days apart. The bill approved Friday in committee shortens the waiting period to seven days.
Another change adds physician assistants and nurse practitioners to the list of health care professionals that can prescribe drugs. The bill also allows pharmacies to send life-ending drugs to patients through the mail or delivery courier.
Opponents of the bill, including Rep. Joe Schmick (R-Colfax), say the current law makes it too easy for people to end their lives.
“It is my personal belief that we should be striving for life and I struggle with this idea that we can bring on our own deaths by choosing," he said.
