New Jersey is set enact a “Right to Die” law that would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives under the supervision of a doctor.
Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., said in a statement this week after the state legislature passed the measure, dubbed “Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act,” that he would be giving it his stamp of approval. New Jersey would be the seventh state in enact such laws, along with the District of Columbia.
“Allowing terminally ill and dying residents the dignity to make end-of-life decisions according to their own consciences is the right thing to do. I look forward to signing this legislation into law,” the governor said in a statement.
Under the bill passed by the legislature, residents in the Garden State must have medical confirmation that they have six months or less to live due to their illness.
New Jersey lawmakers rolled provisions into the bill designed to protect residents from abusing the law and to protect medical professionals who are prescribing the dosages. Patients will be required to make two separate requests to be approved for the regimen and they will be given the chance to rescind the request at any point after the approval has been issued.
Supporters of the bill say that individuals suffering from a terminal illness deserve the dignity to die peacefully and painlessly.
“There is no good reason for them to be forced to prolong their pain and suffering or to prolong the grief of their loved ones if they make that choice,” Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari said in a statement in support of the bill.
Opponents say the medical system has the responsibility to do everything in its power to protect the lives of the patient and view the “Right to Die” as giving up on medical treatment.
“In an era of cost control and managed care, patients with lingering illnesses may be branded as a financial liability for the insurance company, and decisions to encourage death could be driven by reducing costs,” the New Jersey Catholic Conference, who oppose the bill, said in a statement.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia are currently the only jurisdictions in the nation that have enacted “Right to Die” laws.
