Del. lawmakers take up assisted suicide bill after similar legislation vetoed last year

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The Delaware House approved physician-assisted suicide legislation Tuesday after a sometimes emotional debate.

The bill is almost identical to the legislation, the Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Act, that state lawmakers passed last year. The 2024 bill was named for two advocates of the legislation who both died in 2018. That legislation was vetoed by former Gov. John Carney.

This year’s bill is sponsored by state Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow.

It would allow people with fewer than six months to live to request and ingest medication to end their lives. Lawmakers voted 21-17 in favor of the bill, with three absences. Morrison took up the issue after former Rep. Paul Baumbach spent several years pushing to legalize what advocates describe as medical-aid-in dying before retiring last year.

Morrison, who spoke on the House floor about his late mother who died of lung cancer, said she believed she should have had the choice to end her life on her own terms.

“Terminally ill Delawareans have the right to end their lives in a dignified manner with as little suffering as possible,” he said. “Passing this act is the right and compassionate thing to do.”

Some opponents expressed concerns, such as provider training and proper disposal of leftover medication.