Physician-assisted suicide bill advances on Minnesota Health Committee approval

By Nikki Jae Jan 26, 2024 | 1:38 PM

Detroit Lakes , MN (KDLM)-

— A bill that would legalize assisted suicide in Minnesota may have the momentum to pass this upcoming session.

The bill was heard and debated on Thursday by the health committee, and it would make the assisted suicide option available only for patients 18 and over who are terminally ill with a prognosis of six months to live or less. The patient must also be mentally fit.

The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. Mike Freiberg, said he’s confident the bill has the votes to pass from the DFL-led legislature.

Emotional testimony at the Capitol was heard on both sides of the debate.

The bill will need to move through several committees before hitting the House floor and then go through the same process in the Senate.

The bill’s authors say it’s modeled after a law in Oregon, which was the first state to pass a similar bill 25 years ago. There are a total of 10 states, along with Washington, D.C., that allow medically assisted suicide.

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