Nevada Senate passes bill that would legalize medically assisted suicide

The Nevada Senate passed a bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide via a pill.

According to the Nevada Senate website, Senate Bill 239 “establishes provisions governing the prescribing, dispensing and administering of medication designed to end the life of a patient.” The bill narrowly passed with 11 votes in favor and 10 against.

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The bill outlines the prerequisites needed to go through with the procedure.

Qualifying patients must be 18 years or older, be diagnosed with a terminal condition by at least two practitioners, be mentally capable of making such a decision, not be coerced, have made two verbal requests and one written request signed by a witness, and a patient must be properly informed of the decision, among other conditions.

The bill justifies itself by stating the procedure is a matter of self-determination and autonomy and argues that terminally ill people may experience “unremitting pain, agonizing discomfort and a sudden, continuing and irreversible reduction in their quality of life” if it is denied to them.

“It is important that patients have the full range of options for their care, especially at the end of their lives,” it read.

Medically assisted suicide is opposed by a plethora of religious organizations. They argue it denigrates the sanctity of life.

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One of the bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Edgar Flores, retweeted praise for the bill and described it as a “compassionate care option” that was “supported by a majority of Nevadans.”

The bill will now be sent to the House for a vote. Currently, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia allow for assisted suicide. The option is available if approved by court order in Montana and California.