Connecticut lawmakers on aid in dying: two decades of delay, deferral, obstruction
Very soon, members of the Connecticut House of Representatives and the State Senate will be voting on HB6425, – the Medical Aid in Dying bill. More than 20 years ago, Oregon implemented its Death with Dignity Act. Since then, Washington, Vermont, California, Montana, Colorado, Maine, Washington DC, Hawaii and most recently New Mexico have passed legislation authorizing medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults.
Paul Bluestein MD
But not Connecticut, which has turned its back on this issue for two decades, never even allowing it out of committee to be heard by the General Assembly until this year in spite of polls which show that 75% of people and the majority of doctors (including me) favor allowing patients suffering from an incurable illness to seek a dignified death.