Steve Burns
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh says she’s heard quite a few heart-wrenching stories as she crafted the ‘Death with Dignity’ bill. But one statistic stuck out from her research into the four other states with similar laws.

“There’s only a narrow slice of people who have actually availed themselves of it,” she told WMAL. “And even those who have, about 1/3 of them wind up not taking the medication. They explain they didn’t know if they wanted to take it, but they wanted to have the choice. It gives them great comfort to know they have that autonomy and control at the end of their life.”

Cheh’s bill would allow terminally ill patients to request a prescription for life-ending drugs, to choose their own time for death and “have a peaceful end,” she said. There are many provisions, among them two doctors that have to certify the patient does, in fact, have fewer than six months to live, and is not suffering from depression or a mental illness that would affect the decision.

“Nobody has to do this,” Cheh emphasized. “Not the patient, not the doctor, not the pharmacy, not the medical facility. It’s an all-volunteer situation.”

Cheh said she has just enough votes to move the bill out of committee, but it will see wide support among the full council. Mayor Muriel Bowser, however, remains a wild card.

“Some while back I did have a conversation with her about it, and she was sort of non-committal,” Cheh said. “I actually don’t know what her situation will be.”

Also a concern: Capitol Hill. Congress ultimately has the final say over D.C.’s laws, and the Republican-controlled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has shown a penchant for getting involved in more polarizing social issues.

“We always legislate against the prospect that they might interfere,” Cheh said. “But I would hope that they would not.”

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