End Of Life Options Act Fails In The Senate After Tie Vote
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — The End of Life Options Act has failed in the Senate after a 23-23 vote.
The bill failed on the second read.
A tie in the vote allowed the bill to advance to the Full Senate Floor, which automatically kills a bill.
There were emotional testimonies for and against the bill in the Senate on Wednesday.
"This bill and this principle up-end what I would say is thousands of years of medical practice," Senator Justin Ready said. "The Hippocratic Oath which is to first do no harm."
Other Maryland Senator's were not as pleased with the final outcome of the vote.
"They don't have the right to take somebody else's life," Senator Delores Kelly said. "But I think when you're competent, you have the right to make the final decision about your own life."
It took three years to get the End of Life Options Act bill out to the committee.
Advocates were also disappointed with the final outcome.
"It's not a question of if this bill will pass," Donna Smith, of Compassion and Choices, said. "It's a question of when, and we are committed to continuing the fight to educate people about what this bill is and what it is not."
Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
