Skip to main content

Hearing on bill to study aid-in-dying

Image
News Date
Body

On Tuesday, March 29 the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a bill to study end-of-life decisions, including physician-assisted suicide, in New Hampshire.

At the hearing opponents testified that the state should not even contemplate sanctioning suicide.

“It would send the message that suicide is worthy of study, that suicide has a place in our society,” testified Meredith Cook, on behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester.

Supporters argued that citizens have a right to debate aid-in-dying as well as other end-of-life decisions.

“This is such an important issue,” said the bill’s prime sponsor, Sen. Dan Feltes. “It’s important to finally study it in a thoughtful and deliberate way.

The bill, SB 426, already passed the Senate.

If SB 426 also passes the House, it is unclear if Gov. Maggie Hassan will sign the bill.  In 2015 Gov. Hassan vetoed a bill to study end-of-life decisions because the proposed study commission only included legislators.  SB 426 includes representatives from the medical community, the legal community, and the religious community.

Do you think the state should study physician-assisted suicide and other end-of-life decisions?  Comment below.

Comments

Login or register to post comments

Thank you to our sponsors and donors