WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-NH House defeats assisted suicide bill
Member Center:
Associated Press - January 14, 2010 8:25 AM ET
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire's House has defeated a bill that would have allowed the legalization of assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.
The House voted 242-113 on Wednesday against the bill, which would have allowed the terminally ill to obtain lethal prescriptions, with safeguards to prevent abuses.
Supporters said the bill would give people the dignity they deserve in their final days, but opponents said it was a prescription for abuse for the elderly and disabled.
Among the unresolved areas were who would be covered by the bill and who would gain immunity from prosecution for assisting in the death.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
