AUGUSTA, Maine — A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to give terminally ill Mainers the freedom to hasten their deaths.
The proposed bill drew strong testimony at a public hearing before the Health and Human Services Committee Friday. Some see the choice to die as a fundamental right, while others see the proposal as an attempt to legitimize suicide.
Three other states have "Death with Dignity" laws: Oregon, Washington and Vermont. The Maine proposal is modeled after Vermont's, which passed in 2013.
The sponsor, Republican Sen. Roger Katz, says a competent adult should have control over his or her own life, generally free from government interference.
"We already honor that principle in many and varied ways," he says. "People have the right to make medical decisions for themselves, and almost always have the right to refuse treatment, even if others think that treatment is a good idea."
Katz says the freedom to make those decisions should extend to the end of life. And his bill, he says, offers safeguards to ensure it can only be used in cases where the person has a limited life expectancy and is capable of making such a decision.
It requires that a patient request the self-administered medication on three separate occasions, the last one being a written request signed in the presence of two adults who are "not interested persons."
"No doctor has any duty or responsibility to participate in this if he or she doesn't want to," Katz says.
He has the support of at least three other lawmakers who planned to sponsor similar bills — one Republican and two Democrats — including Rep. Roberta Beavers.
"Please keep in mind, this bill is not a mandate," she says. "It merely offers a choice."
A choice that was the right one for Ethan Remmel, according to his father, Charles, who testified before the Health and Human Services Committee.
Remmel says his son was living in Washington, a right-to-die state, when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Remmel says he'll cherish the memories of his son's last days that were spent on his own terms, rather than bed-ridden and suffering.
Remmel read from a blog post that his son wrote, "In which he first noted suicide in this situation is the wrong application of terms. He's going to die anyway. It's not a choice about living or dying, it's a choice about how you're going to die."
But that's not how everyone sees it.
"LD 1270 is yet another attempt to make suicide legitimate, acceptable, ethical and morally right, giving the appearance of respectability and acceptability by recruiting physicians through the force of law," says Tim Russell of Sidney.
He says the Declaration of Independence grants citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not the pursuit of death.
Other opponents say they fear that the law would affect certain populations more than others.
"When we disabled people see legalizing assisted suicide, what we see in it is some people get suicide prevention, while others get suicide assistance based on value judgments and prejudice," says Dennis Fitzgibbons, executive director of Alpha One, an organization that supports people with disabilities.
Maine Legal Services for the Elderly attorney Leo Delicata spoke neither for nor against the bill, but did question how many people would actually use the law if passed.
"Most people are afraid to die," he says. "I don't know too many people that aren't. And to prolong life is the choice that most people want to make."
The issue has divided hospice nurses, with supporters saying hospice isn't always successful in maintaining quality of life. Those opposed say the focus should instead be on providing better end-of-life care.
Another bill under consideration, which was unopposed in the hearing, seeks to improve and expand palliative care in the state.
