End of Life Option Act introduced in Minnesota Legislature

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Senator Eaton re-introduced the End of Life Option Act on Wednesday. The act would allow terminally ill patients, with two doctors’ permission, to take a drug to end their life.

The bill is modeled after an Oregon law that allows terminally ill people suffering pain to self-administer a drug, ending their life.

During the event, ALS patient Bobbi Jacobson spoke through a computer, saying she would like the option of having a “peaceful, painless death.”

According to the bill, when the doctor is presented with the written request, the physician must make sure the patient is an adult with a terminal illness who is capable and has voluntarily requested the aid. The doctor must also inform the patient of their medical diagnosis, their prognosis and the potential risks associated with self-administering the medicine.