Commonwealth Policy Center

Is the right to die a fundamental right? Some Pennsylvania lawmakers say yes. The so-called “End of Life Option Act” is being considered in the PA State Senate. If passed, it would allow doctors to hasten the dying process and assist terminally ill patients with suicide. Proponents of the bill say it gives patients the ability to die with dignity instead of suffering until the very end. While a number of questions arise, we should ask what will become of any society that kills its sick and elderly instead of caring for them. Though this is only a proposal in Pennsylvania, it won’t be long before a similar bill comes to Kentucky, and each of us will have to answer that same question.