Bill that would legalize medically assisted suicide debated at Minnesota Capitol

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A bill that would legalize assisted suicide in Minnesota may have the momentum to pass this upcoming session.

The bill was heard and debated on Thursday by the health committee, and it would make the assisted suicide option available only for patients 18 and over who are terminally ill with a prognosis of six months to live or less. The patient must also be mentally fit.

The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Mike Freiberg, said he's confident the bill has the votes to pass from the DFL-led legislature.

Emotional testimony at the Capitol was heard on both sides of the debate.

Nancy Uden was among those at the capitol on Thursday voicing support for the proposed End-of-Life Options Act. She was injured in a car crash that was caused by a seizure. Doctors would soon diagnose her with an aggressive brain cancer.

"I promised my family that I would fight this ugly disease until there is no hope left and my death is inevitable, so if there are no more treatment options, then I deserve more death options," Uden said.

Kathy Ware warned the bill sets a dangerous precedent for how the community values the sanctity of living, and make it seem her son, Kylen, is less of a person because of his condition.

"I don't want to live like him, so I'm going to get a prescription and end my life before I get like him. That's how it invalidates his value and his worth," she said. "This is a focus on making people have an option when they feel like a burden, to go to a doctor to help me kill myself, versus providing support to that person."

The bill will need to move through several committees before hitting the House floor and then go through the same process in the Senate.

The bill's authors say it's modeled after a law in Oregon, which was the first state to pass a similar bill 25 years ago. There are a total of 10 states, along with Washington, D.C., that allow medically assisted suicide.

In a statement, House Minority leader Lisa Demuth opposed the bill, saying House Republicans will stand on the side of life.