DELAWARE- The Delaware Senate has passed House Bill 140, which grants terminally ill adults the ability to seek medical assistance to end their life in a dignified manner. According to the bill’s sponsors, it would make Delaware the twelfth state in the United States to allow this. The bill includes safeguards, requiring terminally ill patients to demonstrate their understanding of the decision, with evaluations by licensed psychiatrists or psychologists, and ensuring voluntary and informed consent.
If Governor John Carney signs the bill into law, it will apply to adults diagnosed with incurable diseases with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The bill states that the prognosis would need to be confirmed by two medical professionals. The legislation excludes those with advanced age, disability, mental illness, or chronic health conditions. Patients must make two oral requests and one written request for the medication, witnessed by non-family members. The bill, also known as The Ron Silverio/Heather Block End-of-Life Options Law, honors two advocates who died while awaiting legal end-of-life options. Supporters of the bill believe in the importance of allowing terminally ill individuals to make critical decisions about their final days.