(Des Moines)– A so-called “right to die” bill has been introduced in the Iowa Legislature.
The “Iowa End-of-Life Options Act” was introduced in the Senate and House last week. It would allow a terminally ill adult the right to request medication they would administer themselves to end their life. Two verbal requests would be made by the patient, atleast 15 days apart, and a written request would go to a physician. 48 hours would need to pass before the physician could issue the prescription. The physician would also be required to make sure the patient is a resident of Iowa capable of making sound decisions on their own. Physicians would be prohibited from administering the life-ending drug themselves, and a patient could rescind a request at any time.
The bill was a topic of discussion at a legislative forum Saturday in Spirit Lake. State Senator Zach Whiting of Spirit Lake said he’s opposed to the measure as it stands. He’s worried about the possibility of abuse by having another person make a recommendation to end somebody else’s life…
“I have no interest in people suffering, either. And if we can find medications, and we’ve targeted for example, in some of the cannabis conversations that we’ve had about that it could have an impact on and benefit to people in end-of-life situations. Also, right to try bills or legislation that essentially allow people to use medication in and of life situations where it may not be what it’s FDA approved for but it may have some benefits.”
Representatives John Wills and Megan Jones also expressed some concerns over the proposed legislation.
Similar bills have been introduced in previous sessions of the Iowa Legislature but failed to advance.
