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Aid In Dying Advocates in CT Hope for Another Push This Legislative Session

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Monday, February 14, 2022   

As the legislative session in Hartford kicks off this month, advocates are hopeful that the General Assembly will pass a medical aid-in-dying bill after it saw movement last year for the first time.

Last March, House Bill 6425 passed out of the Public Health Committee in a 24 to 9 vote - a first for a version of aid in dying bills introduced multiple times over the last 25 years.

The bill would allow adult patients with terminal illnesses and six months to live to access lethal medication. Tim Appleton, senior campaign director at Compassion & Choices, said it's evidence of the momentum for medical aid-in-dying in Connecticut.

"The efforts of the tens of thousands of supporters have really begun to impact lawmakers in the state Capitol," said Appleton. "They began to understand the inequity of the status quo that says someone in Middletown, N.J., has more options at end of life than someone in Middletown, Conn."

State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg - D-Westport - is a co-chair of the Public Health Committee. He said they'll be introducing a new medical aid-in-dying bill on Monday, and he hopes to have a public hearing before the end of the month.

Opponents of medical aid in dying say these laws violate the obligation of physicians to "do no harm" to patients, while proponents say safeguards in place protect against abuse or coercion.

Kristen Keska of Hartford County said she started advocating for medical aid-in-dying legislation to honor her mother, who passed away in 2019 after eight painful weeks following a stage four ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Keska said it's about giving people options for what the last moments of their lives look like.

"It's the freedom of that choice that provides comfort to those who want it," said Keska. "I keep saying that a lot of the opposition to medical aid in dying is one witnessing of a death away from changing sides. If they saw my mom passing, I bet I would have converts to medical aid in dying. "

Polling commissioned last year by Compassion & Choices found that 75% of Connecticut residents surveyed support the legislation. Ten states including nearby Maine, New Jersey and Vermont have enacted aid-in-dying laws.



Disclosure: Compassion & Choices contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, Senior Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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