A bill allowing doctor-assisted suicide in Delaware has cleared a House committee.
Lawmakers on the Democrat-led committee voted along party lines Wednesday to send the bill to the full House, even though some Democratic committee members said they don’t support the legislation in its current form.
The legislation allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal illness and expected to die within six months to request prescription medicine to end his or her life. A consulting physician would have to confirm the attending doctor’s diagnosis.
The patient would have to make both oral and written requests and would have to wait at least 15 days after the initial request before receiving the drugs.
Opponents of the measure include the Medical Society of Delaware and the State Council For Persons With Disabilities.