Suicide Bill Approved by Legislators in Vermont

A ‘death with dignity’ bill which will allow terminally ill patients to request euthanasia from their doctors has been approved by legislators in Vermont, United States.

The liberal-minded New England state becomes the third in the United States, after Oregon and Washington, to allow assisted suicide -- but the first to do so by legislative process rather than a voter-initiated referendum.

Overview Suicide
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.

Governor Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, has declared that he will sign the End of Life Choice Bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives in the state capital Montpelier by a 75-65 vote.

"Legislators are now embracing the high margin of public support for end-of-life choices nationwide," said Barbara Coombs Lee of Compassion and Choices, a group that campaigns for assisted suicide.

"The bill's passage should enable legislatures in Massachusetts, New Jersey and other states that are considering aid-in-dying bills to approve them," she said in a statement.

Organophosphorus Poisoning
Organosphosphorus compounds are used as insecticides and chemical warfare. They are easily accessible, thus they are a commonly associated with suicides and accidental poisoning.

Under the Vermont bill, which takes effect once signed by Shumlin, terminally ill patients given no more than six months to live can ask their doctors to prescribe medication to help them die.

Several safeguards are built into the law, including a requirement for two medical opinions, the option of a psychiatric examination and a 17-day waiting period between the time a prescription is written and the moment it is filled.