HB 391, the “Utah Death with Dignity Act,” would allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill persons, under certain circumstances. Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City says she sponsored the bill in response to the recent plight of Brittany Maynard, a California woman with a terminal brain tumor who moved to Oregon (which has had such a law in place since 1994) so she could die on her own terms. A poll by www.utahpolicy.com shows that 63% of Utahns support such legislation. On Wednesday’s AU we’ll ask you what you think.
Our guests include Rep. Chavez-Houck and and Rep. Ed Redd, R-North Logan, who is a medical doctor. We’ll talk with University of Utah medical ethicists Dr. Samuel Brown, M.D. and Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Battin, whose professional and personal worlds collided when her husband, U of U professor Brooke Hopkins, faced end-of-life decisions after living for several years as a quadriplegic following a bicycle accident. Our guests also include George Eighmey, Vice President of the Death With Dignity National Center.
