Wisconsin lawmakers are have discussed a bill that would legalize medical aid-in-dying across the state. Mentally competent adults with less than six months to live would be able to request medication to end their life.
Supporters say the law includes safeguards and gives people autonomy and relief from unnecessary suffering. Critics argue that life should always be preserved.
Chris Riley, senior state campaign manager for the nonprofit Compassion & Choices, noted the proposal largely mirrors the organization’s model bill.
"And with this legislation in particular, there is no residency restrictions," she said. "We believe that residency restrictions are unconstitutional because we also acknowledge that individuals often cross state lines to access health care."
Similar legislation has been introduced in Wisconsin multiple times since the 1990s but has never advanced to a hearing. Illinois recently became the first state in the Midwest to authorize medical aid-in-dying. Riley said this could create momentum for neighboring states.
Some religious organizations such as the Wisconsin Catholic Conference oppose the legislation and argue that care, not assisted death, is the proper response to suffering.
If the law eventually passes in Wisconsin, doctors and religious health-care institutions would be allowed to opt out of participating. Riley said the debate centers on a fundamental ethical issue: if individuals should have the legal right to choose the timing of their death.
"When somebody is terminally ill – they're within that six month time period – for them to be able to have that option is also palliative care," she said. "because it lets them know that they are the one able to make that decision at that point in time, because everything else is so out of their control."
Riley noted that the bill has garnered significant legislative support with 19 co-sponsors. She said she believes this demonstrates shifting attitudes toward end-of-life legislation.
Three states have legalized medical aid-in-dying in the past year, bringing the total to 14 jurisdictions across the country.
