Portland, Maine, Jun 5, 2019 / 09:00 am
A bill legalizing assisted suicide in Maine moved to the governor's desk on Tuesday after both houses of the state's legislature narrowly passed the legislation.
The so-called "Dignity With Dying" bill passed the state House of Representatives by a single vote on June 3, before making it through the senate Tuesday by a 19-16 margin.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has a 10 day window from June 4 to sign the bill into law. She has not yet taken a position on the bill, or on assisted suicide.
If the bill were to become law, patients who have less than six months to live and do not have any mental conditions such as depression, may legally request medication that would end their life. Two doctors would have to certify that a patient is terminally ill.