Global Courant 2023-05-02 23:53:04
Vermont passed legislation opening the assisted suicide program to non-residents in the state.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill Tuesday that would remove residency requirements for assisted suicide in Vermont.
“We are grateful to Vermont lawmakers for recognizing that a state line should not determine whether you die peacefully or in agony,” Kim Callinan, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Compassion & Choices, told The Associated Press.
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Vermont Republican Governor Phil Scott signed into law the bill giving nonresidents access to assisted suicide. (Glenn Russell/VTDigger via AP, pool, file)
She continued, “Patients routinely travel to other states to take advantage of the best health care options. There is no rational reason why they should not be able to travel to another state to access medical assistance when dying if the state in which they live allows that. does not offer It.”
The decision comes after a Connecticut woman named Lynda Bluestein reached a court settlement with Vermont that would make her the first out-of-state patient to be euthanized by the state’s medical system.
Bluestein, 75, has terminal cancer and is trying to end her life before her natural death. She launched a legal battle against the residency requirement of the state of Vermont, successfully arguing that it violates the trade, equal protection, and privilege and immunity clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
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The Vermont State House (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“I was so relieved to hear that my case has been resolved so I can decide when cancer has taken everything I can bear from me,” Bluestein said.
She continued, “The importance of having peace of mind, knowing that I will now face fewer obstacles in accessing the autonomy, control and choice in this private, sacred and deeply personal decision about the end of my life, is immense.”
Lynda Shannon Bluestein jams with her husband Paul in the living room of their home February 28, 2023, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi)
Vermont is one of only 10 states in the country that allow medical-assisted suicide.
Oregon is the only other state that allows it for non-residents.
Critics warn of the move.
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“It opens up this idea of ’death tourism’ — that you travel there as a place to get killed,” Dwight Duncan, a professor at the University of Massachusetts School of Law, told the Associated Press. National Catholic Register. “It’s one thing to travel to Vermont because they have great ski slopes. It’s another to travel there because they have great funeral directors.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com
