N.H. House approves proposal to legalize medical aid in dying

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire House narrowly passed a bill that would legalize medical aid in dying in a vote of 179 to 176 on March 21.

The controversial proposal outlined in House Bill 1283 also is often called physician-assisted suicide, a name some proponents have rejected as inaccurate and pejorative.

Lawmakers have considered the issue previously, but this time it had the backing of a grass-roots coalition that wants access to it for themselves and family members. Oregon was the first state to adopt the policy in 1997, and it is now legal in 10 states and Washington, D.C.

Proponents said it gives people who are suffering a way to die with dignity, while opponents fear it would normalize suicide. It would cover only people of sound mind with a terminal illness and six months to live who obtain the approval of two health care providers.

“At the most fundamental level, what this bill is about is freedom,” said Representative Bob Lynn, a Windham Republican and one of the bill’s sponsors.

“When hospital hospice and palliative care are not enough, I think I should have the option of choosing to not needlessly suffer. And you, and all of our fellow citizens, should have the right to make that same choice,” he said.

A public hearing in February drew hours of emotional testimony on the issue from people who told stories about end-of-life decisions by loved ones as they argued for or against the bill. And debate on the House floor March 21 lasted for over an hour.

HB 1283 has faced opposition from the Catholic Church, as well as disability activists, the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention, and veterans groups. Some of the opposition raised the slippery slope argument that allowing medical aid in dying would put those who are disabled or mentally ill at an increased risk of suicide.

“These laws are inherently dangerous and harmful to people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations,” said Representative Chris Muns, a Hampton Democrat, at the March 21 session. He said that left untreated, many people with disabilities could become terminally ill and would qualify for medical aid in dying.

He invoked the state’s “Live Free or Die” motto. “I would suggest that before we focus on the word ‘die’ in that motto, we focus more on the word ‘live,’” he said.

Meanwhile, proponents of medical aid in dying said it shouldn’t be equated with suicide.

“Suicide is frequently violent, carried out in isolation, frequently by those with unresolved mental health crises,” said Representative Marjorie Smith in a committee report recommending the bill’s passage.

“These are people who want to live, but are destined to die in a very short time and want to die peacefully, with their family and friends able to be with them to honor their life,” said Smith, a Durham Democrat and sponsor of the bill.

Smith emphasized that the proposal would only allow a narrow subset of people to access the self-administered procedure, extending it only to those who are evaluated by two medical professionals who deem them terminally ill and with a prognosis of just six months.

The committee adjusted the bill to clarify the role of pharmacists, and to remove physician assistants from the list of health care professionals authorized to prescribe the medications used in the procedure. Those who registered support for the bill online were outnumbered by its detractors 1,125 to 658.

The House Judiciary Committee recommended the bill pass in a 13-7 vote. It heads to the Senate next.