An Anchorage lawmaker has introduced legislation that would allow terminally ill patients the right to decide to end their lives with the help of a physician.
Democratic Rep. Harriet Drummond said in a release that this is not suicide but rather is an option for people who are already dying.
HB 99 was introduced in the Alaska House on Monday.
It would allow adults suffering from a terminal illness and deemed capable of making a decision to die to do so. It would allow for the person’s doctor to dispense or write a prescription for medication that would end the person’s life. The bill defines a terminal disease as one that has been medically confirmed, is incurable and will, “within reasonable medical judgment” result in death within six months.
