Photo via Office of Councilmember Tommy Wells
Currently, assisted suicide is legal in only four states, but D.C. could soon join that list. Earlier this week, Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced a bill that would allow terminally ill patients with only months left to live the choice to end their life on their own terms.
Under the proposed “Death with Dignity Act of 2015,” a mentally competent patient suffering from a terminal illness that’s “likely to result in death within six months” can request medication that would allow them to choose the time, place, and circumstances of his/her death.”
The only states that have legalized similar laws are Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Vermont. As Cheh’s bill is written, any terminally ill patient whose diagnosis is expected to be fatal within six months can coordinate with his or her attending doctor and a consulting physician about the possibility of assisted suicide. Once both doctors verify the patient’s terminal diagnosis and determine his or her mental competency, the patient can request a lethal dose of medication they can use when they’re ready. However, the bill states that the patient must make a second oral request no less than 15 days after the first request, followed by a written request form.
“Rigorous provisions have been included in this bill to protect patients from undue influence or coercion and to ensure that vulnerable populations are protected. To safeguard the appropriate use of this system, the bill also directs the Mayor to develop rules for the disposal of unused medication while instructing the Department of Health to monitor and maintain records of its use,” Cheh said in a statement.
Should Cheh’s bill make it through the Council and signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. would be one of the few places in the country to legalize assisted suicide. Oregon, the first state to pass similar legislation, legalized assisted suicide more than 20 years ago. So why is Cheh introducing this bill now?
“Atmospherically, the time is right to move forward with,” Cheh said in a recent phone interview with DCist. “[Councilmember] David Catania and I talked about doing it together in 2011,” she says, but other issues in the Council “sort of crowded it out.” Cheh said she wanted this bill to have its own focus, and not be part of a larger bill.
But due to the sensitive nature of the bill, Cheh said she doesn’t want to rush it through the Council. “It’s something that requires a lot of thought,” she said. “I’m going to put it out there on the table and then I want to have a thoughtful discussion on this.”
Though she was originally discussing the bill with Catania, she was the sole Councilmember to introduce it on Tuesday. Asked if she’s discussed the bill with any other Councilmembers yet and has support on it, Cheh says that she “[hasn’t] really tried to take their temperature” on it, and would rather “let it percolate around the building” than trying to rush it through to Bowser’s desk.
Of course, Cheh expects their to be controversy around the bill. “I expect that some may oppose this bill on the basis of religious beliefs or moral principle,” she writes, “but there is latitude to recognize that all life is valuable while also respecting the rights and decisions of others.”
For now, the bill will sit until it’s scheduled to be discussed and voted on in an upcoming Council session. Regardless of what may happen with the bill, Cheh said she’s relieved to have finally introduced it. “I felt a great sense of happiness about it,” she said. “I really think it’s something people should be entitled to have…if somebody is capable of making this decision and wants to do it, they should have that choice.”
You can read the full bill below:
