Dick Walters is the president of Patient Choices at End of Life Vermont. The article below is his reflection on the 2011-2012 legislative session which came to a close on Saturday, May 5th.

The majority of Vermonters support the Death with Dignity bill. They can be proud of the progress made in the 2011-2012 legislative session toward enactment of this civil right. The issue has gained real momentum in the state capital.

The Death with Dignity bill would give terminally ill patients with fewer than six months to live the option—the choice—to request medication that they would self-administer as a way to control the timing and manner of their death.

The recent death of Vermont Republican Congressman Richard Mallary demonstrated the real need for the bill. Congressman Mallary was a well-respected leader in our state, and for years he called for passage of this bill—even appearing at a press conference at the beginning of this biennium. Unfortunately, the bill was not passed before his terminal illness overcame him. The revelation that he took his own life without the benefit of the peaceful approach allowed by the bill reminded all of us why we are fighting for this change.

The progress made and momentum for passage is clear.

The effort in Vermont to enact Death with Dignity is different than how the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts became law. Oregon and Washington, like Massachusetts, allow voters to directly decide on proposed laws during elections through an initiative process.

In Vermont, on the other hand, laws may only be enacted through legislative action. Opponents of physician-assisted death have very deep pockets and are able to convince elected officials they don't want to take on a controversial bill about a topic no one likes to talk about—death. They do it time and time again, making a legislative effort an especially difficult challenge.

This year, however, advocates in Vermont made tremendous headway. When I last wrote about Vermont in early March, the State Senate Judiciary Committee had scheduled hearings for the proposed law. In the past month, there've been quite a few developments in Patient Choices Vermont's efforts to support a Death with Dignity law in their state.

Throughout the week, we keep people up-to-date with information about the Death with Dignity movement and other topics related to end-of-life care through Facebook and Twitter. Below are highlights from this week.

Assisted death in the US:

• Vermonters continue to voice their frustration with two of their elected officials who aren't allowing the proposed Death with Dignity bill to go to the full Senate for a vote.
• In an unfortunate turn of events, the Georgia Senate passed a bill to ban assisted suicide. A similar bill was passed by the state House of Representatives earlier in the month. Because of some changes made by the Senate Committee, the bill heads back to the House for approval before heading to the Governor for consideration.

International developments in the assisted dying movement:

Some very exciting news from Vermont! Seven Days reports the State Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a hearing for Senate Bill 103 this week.

Vermont's proposed legislation emulates the time-tested Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts. It has strong support with more than a third of lawmakers in both chambers signed on as sponsors and 64% of Vermont voters in favor of their lawmakers passing the legislation.

As Adam Necrason, a lobbyist representing Patient Choices at End of Life Vermont, noted in a press release:

Last Friday, Vermont governor Peter Shumlin fielded questions and comments from a live studio audience during Vermont Public Television's Town Hall with the Governor. Questions covered many different pressing issues Vermont lawmakers are facing including the economy and affordable higher education. Thirty two minutes into the meeting, host Kristin Carlson read an email from a viewer, Rabbi Robert A. Alper, asking about the proposed Death with Dignity law:

I was dismayed to learn that Senator Sears and Senator Campbell are stalling the bill. Vermonters have a shining record of reasoned debate. How might we bring this issue to the forefront for resolution?

Carlson followed up reading the email with her own question for Governor Shumlin about the proposed Death with Dignity law which has been introduced in both chambers of the Statehouse. She asked, "This is a bill you want. Is it going to happen?"

His response was very direct: "It sure is going to happen while I'm governor. I very much want to sign this bill into law."