The General Assembly is weighing legislation that would offer residents with less than six months to live a lethal dose of drugs. But members of a Senate committee seemed uneasy with the proposal at a hearing Thursday.
Supporters of the measure are quick to distinguish between what the bill offers and suicide.
“I very, very much want to live, but my cancer is going to take my life," said Annapolis resident Kelly Lange. "I want to be the one to decide when I’ve had enough of treatment and pain.”
But under current Maryland law, Sen. Michael Hough, a Republican representing Frederick and Carroll counties, said what the bill offers is physician-assisted suicide, even though the patient's death certificate would list the person's terminal illness instead.
Lawmakers had a host of other concerns, too.
They worried that the bill discriminates against people with physical disabilities, since the measure requires that people take the drugs without any physical assistance.
They asked whether the measure leaves people susceptible to pressure from family members to end their lives sooner than they would want.
And multiple legislators suggested requiring psychiatric evaluations to prevent people with depression from taking advantage of the bill's offerings.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ron Young, said the bill guards against misuse.
The Democrat from Frederick and Washington counties said fundamentally the legislation is about giving people a choice when they don’t have many choices left.