RICHMOND, Va., — Barbara Green counts herself as one of the lucky ones.
She’s among the 10 percent of stage 4 pancreatic cancer patients who have lived more than a year when doctors in July 2022 gave her 8 to 11 months to live.
Green, who lives in Northern Virginia, fears she may have to move to one of 10 states or Washington D.C. that currently allows for medical assisted suicide, also known as medical aid in dying.
“Most people die really miserable, horrible suffering deaths. With with pancreatic cancer, that's a real possibility. I don't really want that. I want to take control of the situation at that point and make my own decisions,” Green told CBS 6.
House Bill 858andSenate Bill 280would give mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to obtain a doctor’s prescription for medication that would peacefully end their lives.
The legislation would require that the medication be administered by the patients themselves.
This morning, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Health Subcommittee approved SB 280.
It is expected to be in front of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee next week. If it passes there, which Compassion and Choices does expect to happen, it will be referred to the full Senate for a vote.
The advocacy group, Compassion and Choices, also wanted to distinguish the difference between terms used to address the issue.
“Opponents of medical aid-in-dying routinely use inaccurate, pejorative terms such as “assisted suicide,” “medically assisted suicide,” “physician-assisted suicide” and “euthanasia” to demonize carefully considered legislation,” according to an email.
Opponents of the legislation, including Nichole Davis, said studies show many terminally ill patients make decisions based on fears of the unknown or loss of control.
Davis, who represents the Virginia Association for Centers for Independent Living, said hospice already offers compassionate assistance to terminally ill patients.
“I’m concerned about it being a hard battle to get people to understand what options are out there,” Davis said. “Will death be the option that is presented rather than how they can live and thrive, even if it’s only for six months, and what that would look like?”
Green points out that there is a long list of criteria a patient must be eligible for to be prescribed the medication.
“You can't rush into this. There's so many things you have to do in order to get the prescription for this medication,” she explained. “It's hard even to find a doctor who's willing to do this. They're all concerned about the people who might picket their house or something for what they're doing.”
Compassion and Choices said Virginia’s bill is based on Oregon’s bill which is 25 years old. Within that time frame, they said there has not been a single instance of abuse or coercion.
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