Dear Friends of End of Life Washington,
We join our friends and colleagues at Death with Dignity National Center in sharing some excellent news. We received the following message from DDNC’s Executive Director, Peg Sandeen yesterday:
Amid all the turmoil in Washington, D.C., right now, two more jurisdictions have joined the ranks of those close to offering the Death with Dignity option to their residents:
- In an overwhelming vote last week, Colorado voters passed the End of Life Options Act by a 65 to 35 percent margin, by far the biggest margin of any state where the law has been approved. The law will likely go into effect in early 2017.
- And today, the Council of the District of Columbia approved, on final passage, its own Death with Dignity law. The decisive 11 to 2 vote now sends the bill to Mayor Bowser.
We are cautiously optimistic the D.C. bill will become law: 67 percent of District residents support the legislation; the Council vote yielded a veto-proof majority; in part thanks to our prompting, dozens of D.C. residents have been calling the Mayor’s office to urge her to approve the bill; and the Colorado vote has reverberated across the nation, sending the message that Americans want this option.
We are hopeful that our nation’s capital will soon join the ranks of Oregon, Washington, California, Vermont, and Colorado as a jurisdiction where Death with Dignity is legal.
It is clear that 2016 has been one of remarkable success for Right to Die advocates everywhere. California’s law was implemented in June, and now the approval of laws in D.C. and Colorado will soon add millions more citizens who have the peace of mind knowing they will not have to suffer needlessly at the end of life.
As you know, End of Life Washington stands at the forefront of our state’s Death with Dignity Act, stewarding the law in large ways and small. We are grateful for our many supporters who make our work possible and insure the rights of all Washington State residents who seek a peaceful and dignified death.
Sally McLaughlin,
Executive Director, End of Life Washington