Sedona AZ (March 8, 2017) – Should a mentally capable adult diagnosed with a terminal illness which would result in death within 6 months be able to legally request a prescription for a life-ending medication to be self-administered when and if suffering becomes unbearable?
“Medical Aid in Dying” will be the subject of the March Voter Education Program of the League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley on Monday, March 20th, 12:30-2PM at the Sedona Community Center, 2615 Melody Lane, Sedona. Leesa Stevens, Northern Arizona contact for Compassion & Choices Arizona will be the featured speaker. The program is free and open to the public.
According to a survey of 700 adult heads of households done by Behavior Research Center in 2015, 63% of those 55 and older support a proposal which would allow a doctor to prescribe a lethal drug to those who physicians conclude are terminally ill and mentally competent. Two bills were introduced into the Arizona Legislature in 2017 but neither has moved forward. Six states plus Washington DC have enacted similar Medical Aid in Dying laws including Montana, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, California and Colorado. In Arizona, Tucson, Bisbee and Oro Valley’s city councils have all passed support documents including resolutions and proclamation in favor of legalizing Medical Aid in Dying in Arizona.
The League of Women Voters of Arizona has done a white paper on End of Life Choices examining the Oregon model, but the League has not taken a specific position in support or opposition to medical aid in dying. For more information about the March 20 program, contact Barbara Litrell 649-0135 or blitrell@aol.com.