Death with Dignity Bill

[Ebowed]

Death with Dignity Bill

Section 1: Application
1. This law shall apply only in federal territories and the District of Columbia.

Section 2: The Right to Die
1. The Right to a dignified death is hereby granted to all those mentally sane residents who are over the age of 18 of the applicable areas as specified in Section 1.
2. In order to invoke this Right, the person must sign a notice containing their wishes and must have the same signed by a public notary.
3. The method of assisting a dignified death to be employed by medical practitioners will be to write a prescription for lethal medication.  The medical practitioner who writes the prescription may not be present when the patient takes the medication.
4. This section shall not be construed as to legalize euthanasia, defined as the assisted suicide of a mentally sane patient where the doctor directly assists in the request.

Section 3: Medical Determinations
1. A person shall be deemed to be mentally sane if a certified medical practitioner with specialism in psychiatry shall certify the same in writing.
2. None of those performing certification pursuant to this Section may benefit directly or indirectly from the death of the person concerned, except as may occur through the payment for provision of services.

Section 4: Prosecutions
1. No medical practitioner writing a lethal medication for the person requesting a dignified death shall be prosecutable unless they have in some way deviated from or ignored the procedures outlined in this statute.
2. If a medical practitioner shall deviate from the procedure in this statute, then they shall be liable to have their medical license revoked and may be subject to prosecution in the Courts, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000.
3. If a medical practitioner shall unduly encourage to invoke their rights as outlined in Section 2 or Section 3 and shall assist in executing these rights, or shall engage in direct action to hasten death without consent, then they shall be guilty of murder.


Sponsor: The President pro tempore

[DownWithTheLeft]

This bill screams euthanasia and physichian-assisted suicide, both things I oppose and the last senate opposed.  This bill should have the same outcome and is wasting the senate's time IMO.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

An amendment to improve a bad bill so that it isn't so bad.

Amendment:
To strike Clause 2 of Section 2 and replace with:
2. In order to invoke this Right, the person must in person file a signed statement with a judge of a State, Regional, or Federal court.

Rationale for Amendment:
I'm leery of allowing a method of certification that is as easily falsified as a notarized statement in this case.  So I want the person to attest in person what his wishes are and I wish to restrict it to a more limited pool of officials who are subject to somewhat more scrutiny than mere notary publics.

[Ebowed]

This bill screams euthanasia and physichian-assisted suicide, both things I oppose and the last senate opposed.  This bill should have the same outcome and is wasting the senate's time IMO.

The last bill legalized euthanasia.  This one legalizes physician assisted suicide.

They are different things.

[Ebowed]

Amendment:
To strike Clause 2 of Section 2 and replace with:
2. In order to invoke this Right, the person must in person file a signed statement with a judge of a State, Regional, or Federal court.

Aye

[Јas]

Aye

[DownWithTheLeft]

Aye

[Colin]

Aye

[Brandon H]

Aye

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Aye

[Ebowed]

The amendment passes.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Aye, FTR

[Ebowed]

We will now vote on final passage.

Death with Dignity Bill

Section 1: Application
1. This law shall apply only in federal territories and the District of Columbia.

Section 2: The Right to Die
1. The Right to a dignified death is hereby granted to all those mentally sane residents who are over the age of 18 of the applicable areas as specified in Section 1.
2. In order to invoke this Right, the person must in person file a signed statement with a judge of a State, Regional, or Federal court.
3. The method of assisting a dignified death to be employed by medical practitioners will be to write a prescription for lethal medication.  The medical practitioner who writes the prescription may not be present when the patient takes the medication.
4. This section shall not be construed as to legalize euthanasia, defined as the assisted suicide of a mentally sane patient where the doctor directly assists in the request.

Section 3: Medical Determinations
1. A person shall be deemed to be mentally sane if a certified medical practitioner with specialism in psychiatry shall certify the same in writing.
2. None of those performing certification pursuant to this Section may benefit directly or indirectly from the death of the person concerned, except as may occur through the payment for provision of services.

Section 4: Prosecutions
1. No medical practitioner writing a lethal medication for the person requesting a dignified death shall be prosecutable unless they have in some way deviated from or ignored the procedures outlined in this statute.
2. If a medical practitioner shall deviate from the procedure in this statute, then they shall be liable to have their medical license revoked and may be subject to prosecution in the Courts, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000.
3. If a medical practitioner shall unduly encourage to invoke their rights as outlined in Section 2 or Section 3 and shall assist in executing these rights, or shall engage in direct action to hasten death without consent, then they shall be guilty of murder.


Aye

[PBrunsel]

Nay

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Abstain

[Brandon H]

Nay

[Rob]

Aye.

[Јas]

Aye

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Nay. I fail to see how any practicioner that takes seriously their Hippocratic oath to do no harm can possibly write such a prescription.  While I sympathise with those with a degraded quality of life, the general solution is to improve that quality, not end it.

[Colin]

Aye

[DownWithTheLeft]

Nay

[Ebowed]

Voting has expired.  With 4 ayes, 4 nays, and 1 abstention, the bill has tied.

[Keystone Phil]

The Aye's are four, the Nay's are four and there is one abstention.

As President of the Senate, I vote Nay on this bill.