Colorado Democrats push to allow non-residents access to medically assisted suicide

Democratic lawmakers in Colorado have introduced legislation that would allow non-residents to access medically assisted suicide.

The legislation, titled “Medical Aid-in-Dying,” would also dramatically reduce other barriers to accessing assisted suicide. The bill’s sponsor in the state Senate, Democratic Sen. Joann Ginal, has objected to the use of the term “suicide” in association with the bill, however.

“This is an option for a person to be able to have a choice in how they leave this world,” Ginal told Colorado Politics. “This is not suicide. We’ve worked very hard to make sure that this is an option for people who are terminally ill and want to go out on their terms in their way. If they want that choice, it should be there.”

In addition to allowing out-of-state access, the bill would allow advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe medication for assisted suicide, rather than just physicians.

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In its current form, the bill also reduces the mandatory waiting period for administering assisted suicide from 15 days to just 48 hours. Ginal said in late January that she planned to amend the bill to a seven-day waiting period, but the legislation has yet to see that adjustment.

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The Colorado Catholic Conference condemned the bill for promoting a “culture of death” in a statement to Colorado Politics.

“Physician assisted suicide targets the most vulnerable in our society, corrupts the medical practice and distorts the patient-doctor relationship by violating a doctor’s commitment to the health of his patients,” the group argued.