House Bill 140, which would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Delaware, will be considered by the full senate after the Senate Executive Committee advanced the bill on April 9.
The committee, which has seven members, recommended the bill move forward after a sometimes-emotional, two-hour meeting that included live and virtual testimony from a few dozen citizens.
The full senate is expected to debate the bill next week. The General Assembly meets Tuesday-Thursday.
The bill would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Delaware. A patient would have to be diagnosed with a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or fewer to live by a qualified medical professional. There are some safeguards in the legislation, but opponents have pointed out that these could be adjusted at some point, as they have in other states.
The same legislation, with the same identifying number, passed both houses of the General Assembly last year. Gov. John Carney, however, vetoed HB140, saying he was “fundamentally and morally opposed” to ending one’s own life. The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is included among groups opposing those the bill.
People active in the pro-life community in Delaware were among those to testify at the senate committee meeting. Bess McAneny, a retired registered nurse and longtime pro-life activist, said HB140 is “cleverly disguised” as a personal choice. Having a patient choose to end his or her life, however, reduces the financial burden to the patient’s family and a hospital. Unscrupulous family members can fool the patients, she said.
Moira Sheridan, the president of Delaware Right to Life, asked the committee to consider how many family members will be traumatized watching the relatives die.
“How much collateral damage are we expected to accept in Delaware?” Sheridan asked.
Among the other speakers were Jessica Rodgers, the coalitions director for Patients Rights Action Fund, who appeared in person, and Stephanie Packer, a California woman who was first diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2012. She appeared virtually. Both women were in Dover in March when the state house of representatives debated the bill before ultimately voting in favor.
Many of those who spoke in favor of HB140 brought up bodily autonomy and the pain of watching a loved one take so much medication that the surviving relatives aren’t sure the dying person is even aware of their presence. One man whose father succumbed to cancer several years back said that palliative care “just delays the inevitable.”
The state senate is currently composed of 15 Democrats and six Republicans, the same as it was last year. In 2024, however, four Democrats voted against HB140, giving it passage by one vote, and only after a procedural move allowed the senate to consider it a second time. This year, there are two new senators, Democrats Daniel Cruce and Ray Seigfried, who have replaced two Democrats who supported the bill last year.
Should HB140 pass the senate, it would go to Gov. Matt Meyer, who has said he will sign the legislation.
The Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network said HB 140 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.
