State lawmakers in Wisconsin have introduced legislation that gives terminally ill patients the option to have doctors help them end their lives. “I think it is immoral to keep those people suffering the last days of their life,” said State Senator Fred Risser, D – Madison. Sen. Risser says the first time he introduced the legislation was in 1993 and he believes people’s opinions on the topic have changed since then.
The End-of-Life Options Act (LRB 1624-1) would allow mentally capable terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the ability to end life on their own terms.
The Executive Director for Wisconsin Right to Life says she has concerns there aren’t safeguards in place for people who think this is the best alternative. “It’s not a doctor’s job to take life, it’s not a doctor’s job to assist in the killing of someone at the end of life,” says Heather Weininger, Executive Director for Wisconsin Right to Life. “What they should be doing is providing comfort care to those people. That’s what they should be doing.”
Sen. Risser says the bill is being circulated among lawmakers to see what kind of support it receives.