New Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said he supports physician-assisted suicide in the state and would not have vetoed a bill that made it through the state legislature last year.
His comments came in response to a question during a session with reporters shortly after his swearing-in Jan. 21 at DeLauder Theatre on the campus of Delaware State University. Meyer’s predecessor, Gov. John Carney, in September vetoed HB140 when it passed the full legislature after years of disagreement from the public and elected officials. The measure would have made physician-assisted suicide legal in the state.
“There was a bill that went through the state House and state Senate last year that I do support,” Meyer said.
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was among numerous organizations that opposed the bill, which was similar to one defeated earlier in the year in Maryland, where the diocese includes churches, schools and organizations along the Eastern Shore.
HB140 passed the state House of Representatives on April 18 on a nearly party-line vote before narrowly making it through the senate.
The physician-assisted suicide legislation in Delaware has had numerous pushes in the last several years, including 2022 when it also passed through the House committee but was never offered for a full vote. It was removed from the House agenda that May.
The Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network said in June HB140 has “serious flaws” that would endanger the elderly, mentally ill and disabled and could result in elder abuse, insurance fraud and an increase in the overall suicide rate. It also would fundamentally change the legal approach to medical ethics, medical practice and health-care decision-making in Delaware, the group said.
