Compassion & Choices Action Network Massachusetts and End of Life Options Coalition MA volunteers yesterday urged Massachusetts lawmakers to pass the End of Life Options Act (S1486/H2505). This legislation gives terminally ill patients the option to alleviate unbearable suffering at the end of life. The event took place at the Mass. State House.

The volunteers joined State Senators and State Representatives and their staff including Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Senate sponsor of the legislation; Leader Jim O’Day (D-West Boylston), House sponsor; Rep. Ted Philips (D-Sharon), also a House sponsor; and Senator Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont), Senate President Pro Tempore, at the legislative briefing and media event.

“The End of Life Options Act offers a compassionate option — to allow mentally-capable patients with terminal diagnoses to choose a peaceful, humane death with dignity. At the same time, the legislation establishes rigorous safeguards for patients and physicians to follow in order to protect vulnerable people from coercion,” said Senator Comerford. “I am proud to join Leader Jim O’Day, Representative Ted Philips, and Senators Will Brownsberger and Dylan Fernandes to push forward this bill, which nearly 80% of Commonwealth residents support.”

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 includes strict eligibility requirements and more than a dozen safeguards that would make it the most comprehensive and strictest law in the country, 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.

Speaking to the history of the bill here in Massachusetts, Representative Philips said, “This is the 10th session that the bill has been filed. Over that time, we’ve had the opportunity to adjust and improve the bill. We’ve had the opportunity to sit down and have meaningful conversations with those who had concerns about the bill, and addressed as many of those concerns as possible.

Representative Philips added, “It’s an honor to work alongside Senator Comerford, Leader O’Day and Senator Brownsberger again this session.”

“People facing the possibility of terrible suffering in the final stages of a terminal illness need better options,” said Senator Brownsberger. “That’s what this bill is about.”

“My father told me repeatedly that he wanted to die without pain and suffering when it was his time. He didn’t get that wish, and I had to watch him suffer horribly at the end,” Leader O’Day said. “I know I’m not speaking alone on that topic, as so many have had a similar experience. This bill has been really important to me. We inched closer and closer last year, and it’s my dream that we can make this bill happen.”

JoAnn Vizziello of Wenham, a woman living with life limiting cancer, shared that “to have a peaceful transition for myself and my family is not asking too much. It requires only human decency and compassion. The choice to end the suffering should be mine and mine alone.”

Steve Sheehan of Haverhill, whose wife suffered greatly and wanted this option, added, “There is a majority of Massachusetts citizens who agree with having the right to decide how they die, and they want their voices heard. This issue is no longer about advocacy for, or opposition to, the End of Life Options legislation. The arguments for or against have been made, and have been heard, and have been considered. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to bring this legislation to the floor and let our legislators vote to reflect the wishes of their constituents.”

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.

Donor and Supporter Privacy Policy — Contact
Texting Privacy Policy
Media Contacts
It's Not Assisted Suicide