Sedona City Council Unanimously Passes Resolution in Support of Medical Aid-in-Dying Legislation

Nov 14, 2018 Elizabeth Armijo Sedona

Compassion & Choices commended the Sedona City Council for its unanimous vote last night in favor of a bipartisan resolution in support of medical aid-in-dying legislation in Arizona (7-0), including Mayor Sandy Moriarty as a voting member. This makes Sedona the 4th municipality in Arizona to pass a local resolution, joining Tucson, Oro Valley and Bisbee.

Since March of 2018, the Sedona Arizona Compassion & Choices Action Team has been working to pass a local resolution supporting medical aid in dying. Medical aid in dying is a medical practice which gives mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or fewer to live the option to peacefully end unbearable suffering. The Sedona resolution was co-sponsored by City Councilors Jon Thompson and Jessica Williamson and will be transmitted to the Arizona State Legislature.

Community advocates attended the council meeting and shared their compelling personal stories about the positive impact the future legislation could have on terminally-ill Arizonans.

“We are thrilled that Sedona’s City Councilors and Mayor Moriarty recognize the urgency of passing medical aid-in-dying legislation for the terminally ill residents of Arizona,” said Elizabeth Armijo, Regional Campaign & Outreach Manager at Compassion & Choices. “The vote was unanimous, demonstrating the need for swift action to advance this vital end-of-life option.”  

Medical aid in dying is authorized as an end-of-life care option in eight U.S. jurisdictions. Oregon, where medical aid in dying has been authorized for two decades (since 1997), has been joined since then by Washington (2008), Montana (2009), Vermont (2013, California (2015), Colorado (2016), Washington, D.C. (2017) and Hawaiʻi (2018).