Source: North Jersey
BY Dustin Racioppi, Trenton Bureau
New Jersey is poised to become the eighth state to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives after a vote Monday that for years had eluded supporters of the so-called right-to-die movement.
With the Legislature narrowly approving the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, the bill now goes to Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, who pledged his support.
“Allowing terminally ill and dying residents the dignity to make end-of-life decisions according to their own consciences is the right thing to do. I look forward to signing this legislation into law,” Murphy said in a statement.
The bill’s approval is in itself a key victory for supporters and for Democrats in the Legislature who have tried for years to get it passed. The Assembly had passed it twice, in 2014 and 2016, only to see it stall in the Senate.