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Death With Dignity Measure Expected in Delaware Legislature

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A Death with Dignity measure is expected to be considered by the Delaware state legislature.

Representative Paul Baumbach is drawing up a measure that would be similar to Oregon’s law that allows doctors to write lethal prescriptions.

Baumbach says that that terminally ill in the state with six months to live or less as assessed by a doctor should have the right to take the lethal drug.

The Newark Democrat said he expects it will take a year before he is able to get his measure through the General Assembly.

Since Oregon enacted its law in 1997 over 13-hundred such prescriptions have been written with 859 who decided to take their lives.

Last year in the state the number was 105.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.