Ten years of tireless advocacy by the Compassion & Choices Action Network Delaware team and our terminally ill advocates appeared to have paid off when the legislature passed the Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Act.
It was an emotional roller coaster ride and Gov. John Carney’s current stance on the bill was unknown at the time of this magazine’s publication. The House passed the bill in a bipartisan 21-16 vote in April. Two days before a scheduled Senate vote, the Compassion & Choices Action Network’s legislative champions were confident of its passage. Then a confirmed “yes” vote switched to “present but not voting,” surprising bill supporters. In response, Sen. President Bryan Townsend quickly changed his initial “yes” vote to “no,” resulting in a tie 9-9 vote, but preserving his right to bring the bill back to the floor for another vote before the end of the session on June 30.
Our advocacy went into overdrive as constituents contacted the wavering senator who pledged to vote yes if the bill came up for a vote again. It did, and the Senate passed the bill 11-10 on June 25.
Gov. Carney opposed the bill in 2022, but at press time had not decided whether to sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.
“I cannot express how much I appreciate the Senate and House passing this compassionate legislation after working for six years to persuade lawmakers to support it,” said terminally ill Wilmington, Delaware resident Judy Govatos. “I am pleading with Gov. Carney to sign this compassionate legislation as every other Democratic governor has done in states where medical aid-in-dying legislation has passed, including several Catholic governors like him. I have had cancer twice in the last 10 years. At age 80, my time is running out, and without this law, I am facing a prolonged period of needless suffering when I die.”
“Even if this is not an end-of-life care option that Gov. Carney would choose for himself, the data shows that as drafted, this bill harms nobody,” said Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Choices Action Network. “I hope he will respect the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Delaware voters and physicians who support this legislation and allow the Delaware End of Life Options Act to become law.”
Feature photo courtesy of Compassion & Choices
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