First appeared in WHYY PBS 20th September 2024
Retiring state Rep. Paul Baumbach has pushed for medical aid in dying legislation since 2015. Gov. Carney said he was “morally opposed” to it becoming law.
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Delaware Gov. John Carney has vetoed legislation that would have allowed medical aid in dying.
The Ron Silverio/Heather Block Delaware End of Life Options Act is named in honor of two advocates of the legislation. Both died in 2018.
It’s sometimes known as “physician-” or “medically assisted suicide.” The bill would have allowed people with fewer than six months to live to request and ingest medication to end their lives.
Carney, who is Irish Catholic, said he was against allowing the terminally ill to end their lives with a physician’s help in his veto message. He said he has been consistent and public about his position on this issue.
“Although I understand not everyone shares my views, I am fundamentally and morally opposed to state law enabling someone, even under tragic and painful circumstances, to take their own life,” he said in the statement.
The lead sponsor, Rep. Paul Baumbach who is not running for re-election, has pushed for the legislation since 2015. He said he was angry about the governor’s veto.
“I think he’s ill-informed and ill-advised, and I think he did a major decision that is going to be harming people who least deserve it, those who are dying,” he said. “I think it’s heartless. It’s unfortunately not a surprise. We’ve seen the governor disregard the vast majority of Delawareans multiple times, but I thought there was more humanity in him, and I was wrong.”