INTERVIEW – MD Delegate NIC KIPKE  – House Republican Leader, Maryland General Assembly and Minority Leader in the MD House of Delegates

• KIPKE ON MD ASSISTED SUICIDE:
  • MD Minority Leader Nicholaus R. Kipke (R-Anne Arundel), one of the lead critics of the bill, said he would share his concerns when the legislation is taken up Thursday.
  • Delegate Nic Kipke “My conscience won’t let me vote for this” tells story of survival in announcing he will vote against End of Life.
• VOTE: The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a measure to allow the terminally ill to end their lives with a doctor’s help. Following an intense and emotional debate that brought some lawmakers to tears, the Maryland House of Delegates approved a bill Thursday that would allow terminally ill adults to obtain prescription drugs they could take to end their lives. It was the fourth attempt to pass the bill; it has failed in three past General Assembly sessions. Thursday’s vote was 74-66 — three votes more than the 71 votes required for passage.
• LEGISLATION: The legislation would allow a doctor to prescribe drugs to a patient that the person could take to end his or her life. The patient must be at least 18 years old and have a terminal illness with a prognosis of less than six months to live. The patient must request the prescription on three occasions, including once in private and once in writing — provisions meant to prevent patients from being coerced. Supporters said having the option of medically assisted suicide would allow people to maintain control and die without suffering.