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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

New Jersey Considers "Aid in Dying" Bill

Last November, the New Jersey state Assembly passed an "aid in dying bill" with a 41-31 vote. The bill was sent to the full Senate in December by the Senate health committee, but with no recommendation on whether to enact it. The bill would allow terminally ill patients (those diagnosed with having six or fewer months left to live) to obtain medication they could self-administer to end their lives. The bill would require a patient to make two oral requests at least fifteen days apart from his or her attending physician along with an additional written request. A consulting physician would also have to sign off. As another precautionary measure, there would have to be at least one witness to the request who is neither a relative nor a beneficiary of the patient's estate.

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Governor Christie has expressed his own concerns about the bill, stating that it could lead to a "slippery slope." Historically, Christie has been against such "aid in dying" laws, opposing the concept in his 2009 and 2013 runs for governor.

New Jersey Assemblyman John Burzichilli, D-Gloucester, a main proponent of the bill, said that discussions were continuing in the Senate and that the bill was"very, very close" to having the majority required to pass. If it does pass, though, it will still not have a veto-proof majority and will require Gov. Christie's signature--an unlikely event in the short-term given his public doubts about the bill.

Were the bill to become law, New Jersey would join five other states which have so far legalized such "aid in dying" laws.