More than 7 in 10 voters support the compassionate legislation

Compassion & Choices Action Network today praised Massachusetts lawmakers for re-introducing the End of Life Options Act (SD 1665/HD 2540) and urged the Legislature to pass the widely supported bill to prevent any more terminally ill residents from needlessly suffering or not having full autonomy over their death. 

“I have witnessed the tragedy of watching too many people with terminal disease die with needless pain and suffering. We have been pleading with the legislature for over a decade to give us the option of medical aid in dying in order to die a peaceful death in Massachusetts,” said retired Falmouth physician Roger Kligler. Kligler has lived with incurable prostate cancer for 23 years and has been advocating for the option of medical aid in dying in Massachusetts for 10 years. “Having practiced as a hospice physician for my patients, this advocacy is becoming personal as my cancer spreads. I want to have an option to end my life peacefully when my pain worsens and I develop severe suffering.”

The legislation would allow a mentally capable, terminally ill adult the option to request and self-ingest prescription medication to peacefully end their suffering if it becomes unbearable. The bill has a wide range of safeguards, including a requirement that two healthcare providers certify that a patient has a prognosis of six months or less to live, and makes it a crime to coerce a terminally ill person into using medical aid in dying.

“This legislation offers qualified, terminally ill residents of the Bay State some measure of control and comfort in their last days,” said Melissa Stacy, Regional Advocacy Director for Compassion & Choices Action Network.

“There are no documented cases of misuse involving medical aid in dying in the 11 U.S. jurisdictions where it has been authorized, starting with Oregon in 1997. We respectfully urge lawmakers to make passing this long overdue legislation a top priority in 2025.”

“Following a historic session which saw unprecedented support for the bill, I was proud to re-file An Act Relative to End-of-Life Options this past week,” said House Leader Jim O’Day (D-Worcester). “Ultimately, the legislation is one of the most cautious bills of its kind. It includes strict requirements for individuals who wish to utilize medical assistance in dying like a comprehensive mental health evaluation and affirmative consent.”

“Although the debate over medical aid in dying is complex, I firmly believe that individuals and their loved ones have a right to choose peace of mind, comfort, and dignity over suffering,” added O’Day. “Alongside my legislative partners Representative Ted Philips (D-Sharon) and Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), I am confident that we will continue to build momentum and empower Massachusetts residents with a terminal illness to make sound decisions about how they choose to live out their final days.”

“I am proud to again partner with Representatives Jim O’Day and Ted Philips to file An Act Relative to End of Life Options,” said Senator Comerford. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this important legislation which allows an end-of-life health care decision to be between an individual and their doctor.”

“After making significant progress last session that got this bill closer to a floor vote than it’s ever been,” said Representative Philips, “I’m excited to get back to work alongside Leader O’Day and Senator Comerford, and make this the year we finally put this on the Governor’s desk.” 

A statewide poll of 1,018 Massachusetts voters conducted by Beacon Research in March, 2023 showed that sizable majorities of every demographic group favor legalization. Nearly three out of four Massachusetts voters (73%) support the End of Life Options Act and nearly eight out of ten voters (79%) support the bill after they learn about its safeguards.

At least seven in 10 voters (70%-75%) in every state region support the bill, as do 79% of Democrats, 71% of unenrolled voters, 68% of Republicans, 89% of strongly pro-choice voters, 68% of moderate pro-choice voters, a plurality of pro-life voters (47% vs. 43%), 68% of Catholic voters, 71% of Protestant voters, 68% of voters living with a disability, 76% of white voters and 63% of voters of color.

In a December 2022 editorial endorsing the End of Life Options Act, The Boston Globe cited the bill’s numerous safeguards, noting the bill includes “strict requirements” for a patient to request medically assisted death, and called the bill the “most cautious and comprehensive in the country.”

Compassion & Choices is comprised of two organizations that improve care and expand options at life’s end: Compassion & Choices (501(c)(3)) educates, empowers, defends, and advocates; the Compassion & Choices Action Network (501(c)(4)) focuses exclusively on legislation, ballot campaigns, and limited electoral work.

Paid for Compassion & Choices Action Network.

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