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Maryland Lawmakers to Introduce Death With Dignity Bill

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Two lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill that would allow terminally ill people in Maryland to end their lives.

According to a draft of the bill, patients given no more than six months to live would have the option of getting a prescription for lethal drugs to be used at their discretion.

The requirements for filling the prescription include a terminal diagnosis as well as oral and written consent from two doctors.

Patients are not required to take the drugs, nor are they obligated to fill the prescription.

Only five states have made it legal for terminally ill people to hasten their deaths, but a number of states, including California and Colorado, and the District of Columbia have introduced legislation.

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.