Senate Judiciary Committee to consider bill about assisted suicide for terminally ill patients

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on four different bills involving healthcare rights in a Tuesday evening session.

The first bill, § 2025-S 0151, was introduced by Democratic senator Meghan Kallman, would provide a legal mechanism for a terminally ill patient to choose to end their life using medications prescribed by a physician.

In order for a patient to make that decision, the patient must first make multiple requests for medication to end their life to a physician that they have an existing relationship with within a period of fifteen days, as well as a written request with two witnesses.

Additionally, one of the witnesses to the request must not be an “interested person”- meaning that they are not a family member or someone who could benefit from the patient’s death.

The physician would then be protected from liability.

Another bill, introduced by Republican Elaine Morgan without cosponsors, would allow a medical practitioner or patient to not participate in or pay for medical procedures that they feel “violates their conscience.”

The other two bills being considered by the committee would give advanced practice registered nurses the same immunity from liability as physicians and surgeons, and would make statements by a healthcare provider inadmissable as evidence of liability if an “unanticipated outcome” were to occur.

No votes are expected on Tuesday.