(The Center Square) – A proposed Nevada law would allow people who have terminal conditions to end their lives by taking medication.
Assembly Bill 346 says that a person who has a terminal condition must have an “incurable and irreversible condition” that will cause them to die within six months.
Furthermore, this bill says people can request to end their lives if they meet specific requirements.
A person making the request must be at least 18 years old. An attending practitioner and a consulting practitioner must have diagnosed the patient with a terminal illness.
This bill would require the patient to make an “informed and voluntary decision to end his or her life.”
In addition, AB 346 says the person needs to be “mentally capable” and not asking for medication due to “coercion, deception or undue influence.”
When a person requests to kill themself, the individual needs to make two verbal requests for medication.
The second verbal request must occur at least 15 days after the person makes the first request. If an attending practitioner says the person may die within those 15 days, then the request can be made at any point.
For the written request, the person requesting the medication must sign it along with one witness. The witness can’t be a person related by “blood, marriage or adoption.” Furthermore, the witness can’t be named in the person’s will.
The health care facility owner, attending practitioner or patient interpreter can’t also be the witness.
This bill was introduced on Monday by Assembly members from both parties: Danielle Gallant, R-Boulder City, and Joe Dalia, D-Henderson. State Sen. Edgar Flores, D-Las Vegas, is the joint sponsor in the Senate.
AB 346 was referred to the Assembly Select Committee on End of Life Care.
During Nevada’s last session in 2023, the Nevada Legislature passed Senate Bill 239, which also allowed terminally ill people to end their lives.
However, Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed this bill.
“Given recent progress in science and medicine and the fact that only a small number of states and jurisdictions allow for similar end-of-life protocols, I am not comfortable supporting this bill,” the governor wrote.
Currently, 10 states and the District of Columbia allow terminally ill patients to end their lives. The states are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
