Montpelier, Vermont - January 25, 2012
Advocates hoping to pass a bill giving Vermonters the right to end their own lives may have to wait until 2013. State senators tell WCAX News that support for this controversial bill is dwindling.
Some call it physician-assisted suicide; others Death with Dignity. It's a bill that would allow Vermonters to legally end their own lives if diagnosed with a terminal illness.
The Legislature rejected the bill after an emotional debate back in 2007.
Advocates believe this is the year it will pass, but senators like Dick Sears say they have too much on their plates with Irene and the budget to revisit this issue.
The bill would require that a doctor give a patient less than six months to live before prescribing them drugs that would allow them to end their life. This requirement is one of the reasons Sears opposes the bill. He says we don't yet have the medical knowledge to determine someone only has six months to live.
"This is a very complex issue. While it may be simple to some advocates of the bill and some opponents, it's not a simple bill. To take up a bill that doesn't have the support of the Senate doesn't seem to make sense to me," said Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington.
"I've heard many bills be called dead for the session that come back to life. I think it's an important bill and I hope the Legislature passes it," said Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont.
Clearly this is both an emotional and a personal issue. I've met with several families who graciously shared with me their stories and reasons to support or oppose this bill. We'll take an in-depth look at this issue next week.
