DENVER – After more than 11 hours of painful, emotional stories, a right-to-die measure had a respectful death in Colorado. The so-called “Death with Dignity Act” would have allowed terminally ill patients to request life-ending medication.
But after a marathon of dying Coloradans, religious leaders, doctors, health-care professionals and attorneys split over the measure, lawmakers on the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee voted 8-5 Friday night against the measure.
Democratic Reps. Dianne Primavera of Broomfield and Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge joined Republicans to defeat the measure.
The hearing was the Legislature’s longest yet of the year, raising difficult memories for audience members and lawmakers who heard stories from terminally ill patients and their family members. Several lawmakers cried as they explained their vote.
“I have so much respect for you. I know how passionate you are about this issue. I know how hard you’ve worked,” said Primavera, chairwoman of the committee, as she choked back tears, recalling her own battle with cancer.
But Primavera said she could not support the measure, noting that a doctor once gave her five years to live: “I am here today, 28 years later,” she said.
Supporters of the measure called it a matter of liberty and freedom to allow patients to decide their own death.
“My end-of-life decision should be mine – not the state of Colorado, not the church’s, nor any special industry or interest group,” said John Davis, a supporter of the bill, who is suffering from an advanced stage of kidney cancer – something very difficult to cure.
Other patients and stakeholders, however, worried that the law could have been abused, encouraging insurance companies and exhausted caregivers to push people toward death rather than incur high costs and time.
Physicians raised concerns that the measure would diminish the value of doctors as healers and cut off the possibility of a recovery. Others raised legal concerns, questioning safeguards for keeping life-ending medication away from the general public, or even how individuals would self-administer the drugs.
“The title of the bill is highly offensive in suggesting that my family and friends who have (died) were undignified because they did not choose suicide,” said Carrie Ann Lucas, executive director of the Center for Rights of Parents with Disabilities, and who suffers from a life-threatening progressive neuromuscular disease.
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
