If someone is dying, should they have the legal right to kill themselves?
It's a rather macabre question to ask, and I would discourage anyone from committing suicide, but should it be criminal for a person with a fatal illness to take their own life?
The State of New Jersey seems to believe the act shouldn't be illegal.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to sign legislation allowing terminally ill patients to seek life-ending medication.
The New Jersey Senate approved the "Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act" in a 21-16 vote Monday. Gov. Murphy said in a statement that he supports the measure and would sign it into law.
“Allowing terminally ill and dying residents the dignity to make end-of-life decisions according to their own consciences is the right thing to do,” Murphy said.
Democratic senators Nicholas Scutari, Richard Codey and Senate President Steve Sweeney all sponsored the legislation.
Like most reasonable people, I'm not a fan of suicide. If you're considering killing yourself, even if you're suffering from a fatal illness, I would encourage you to seek counseling. All that being said, I don't think it should be criminal. Everyone has a right to the pursuit of happiness. If your quality of life is so low that you don't want to be here anymore, why should a law enforcement official or politician have the authority to tell you otherwise?
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