If early election results hold strong, terminally ill people in Washington State will next year have the right to ask their doctors for lethal medication, making the state the second in the nation to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
By about 8 p.m., about 58 percent of voters approved Initiative 1000, but people behind the initiative said they’re not ready to celebrate.
“I’m extremely happy, but I don’t want to call it just yet,” said Anne Martens, spokeswoman for Yes on I-1000.
If approved, the initiative will allow terminally ill people who have been given six months or less to live will be allowed to ask their doctor for medicine they would self-administer.
Supporters say the initiative would give sick people at the end of their lives the right to control what happens to their bodies. Opponents have argued that the initiative doesn’t honor the sanctity of life, and could result in pressure for vulnerable people to commit suicide instead of choosing medical care that could prolong their lives.
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