Local Library Hosts Presentation on 'Right to Die' Legislation In NJ.

The New Jersey Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act was the featured discussion topic last Sunday at the Franklin Township Library. During the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions, learn more about the medical procedure of aid in dying, and sign a petition calling for state legislators to pass the bill.

A representative from Compassion & Choices, a national non-profit organization committed to improving care and expanding choice at end of life, provided attendees with an overview of the legislation and showed excerpts from ‘How To Die In Oregon,’ a documentary on aid in dying. The audience included local residents members from the NJ Humanist Network.

The Aid in Dying bill (A2270/S382) would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right to request a prescription for life-ending medication that the patient would self-administer in order to reduce suffering at the end of life.

The NJ State Assembly passed the bill last November, and it passed out of the NJ Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens committee in December. A full Senate vote is expected in the coming months.

“Aid in dying is about options,” Ethan Andersen of Compassion & Choices reportedly stated at the event. “The New Jersey legislation is gaining momentum and we are hopeful that the state Senate will approve the current bill in the coming months”.

“The public dialogue in New Jersey regarding aid in dying continues to increase, particularly as the baby boomer generation ages and recognizes that they will want more personal freedom and legal rights at the end of life,” Andersen stated.

Recent polls show that 62 percent of New Jersey voters support a person’s right to choose aid in dying.

To learn more about the legislation and aid in dying, click here.

Photo courtesy of Alex Rodas

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