LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed the “medical-aid-in-dying” bill on Monday — the so-called end-of-life pill.
Lombardo has now vetoed 32 bills this session, turning away proposals passed by the Democrat-majority Nevada Legislature. Lombardo’s message in vetoing Senate Bill 239 (SB239):
“SB239 allows for physician assisted suicide in the State of Nevada. End of life decisions are never easy. Individuals and family members must often come together to face many challenges — including deciding what is the best course of medical treatment for a loved one. Fortunately, expansions in palliative care services and continued improvement in advanced pain management make the end-of-life provisions in SB239 unnecessary.
“Given recent progress in science and medicine and the fact that only a small number of states and jurisdictions allow for similar end-olf-life protocols, I am not comfortable supporting this bill.”
SB239 was one of the most talked-about pieces of legislation this session, with 262 comments in support and 632 comments against. Despite that disparity, a poll released by the group Compassion & Choices says 82% of Nevadans support medical-aid-in-dying legislation.
“Despite these record-high poll numbers in support of medical aid in dying, thousands of phone calls, petitions and emails Gov. Lombardo refused to meet with bill supporters before becoming the first governor to veto a medical-aid-in-dying bill,” Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Choices Action Network, said in a news release shortly after the veto.
Republican Assemblyman Toby Yurek tweeted in support of the veto: “Thank you @JoeLombardoNV for choosing to protect life. #nvleg #nvad19”
SB239, sponsored by nine Democrats and co-sponsored by 10 more, would have allowed terminally ill Nevadans to self-administer medication to end their own lives. The bill contained a number of steps to ensure the decision was not influenced by others, as well as legal protections for medical personnel involved in the process.
Votes on SB239 were closer than votes on any other bill as it passed through the Legislature. Several of the approvals came by only a single vote.
The patient’s death certificate would state the cause of death as the terminal condition, the bill specifies. The death would not be considered “mercy killing, euthanasia, assisted suicide, suicide or homicide when done in accordance with the provisions of this bill.”
SB239 also specifies that insurance companies are prohibited from making refusing to sell, provide or issue a policy based on a patient’s interest in ending their life this way. Insurance policies must be honored, the bill indicates.
The fatal dose would have been dispensed by a physician or pharmacist — but administered by the patient. The legislation does not specify a drug that would be used.