Lawmakers won’t take up a vote on a bill that would allow terminally ill patients in Connecticut to end their lives with the aid of a doctor.
State Representative Jonathan Steinberg of Westport, who chairs the Public Health committee, told the Hartford Courant Monday he didn’t have the votes to get the bill through the committee.
“It’s a very close vote, as you might expect, given it’s such a controversial subject. People have very strong passions, there’s a lot of personal belief involved.”
A representative for the advocacy group Compassion and Choices said the defeat is beyond disappointing and hopes the bill will someday become law in Connecticut.
Six states and the District of Columbia allow patients to end their life with a doctor’s assistance. Opponents say unethical doctors could coerce patients to end their lives.
