30-01-2025
Tennessee lawmakers to debate legalizing medically assisted suicide following ban in West Virginia
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee lawmakers will again debate whether terminally ill patients have the right to choose medically assisted suicide this legislative session after one nearby state recently became the first to ban it in its Constitution, and voters had a say.
Ten states and Washington, D.C. currently allow medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, a controversial measure that enables a person with a fatal disease to choose when and where to die to avoid having to suffer through their pain.
In November 2024, voters in West Virginia narrowly chose to ban medically assisted suicide through an amendment to the state's Constitution, the first state in the U.S. to do so, after lawmakers approved a measure to allow the referendum on the ballot on the last night of the legislative session last March.
'An important part of the pro-life movement is ensuring life is protected from conception to natural death, and this is just another tool in the tool kit for that,' Del. Chris Pritt (R-Kanawha), the resolution's sponsor, told News 2's sister station, WOWK, in October 2024.
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However, critics argued medically assisted suicide was already banned under West Virginia law.
'It's very bizarre that they are trying to constitutionally stop it, because it would be the first state in the country to ever do that, ever,' Del. Kayla Young (D-Kanawha) said.
Pritt argued the amendment would ensure a judge couldn't overturn the state's ban on medically assisted suicide.
'There could be a court that decides there is a right to, for example, to commit suicide using a physician, and what this does is it enshrines it in the state Constitution that that kind of activity is going to be prohibited going into the future,' Pritt said.
The constitutional amendment to prohibit medically assisted suicide passed in West Virginia by less than a single percentage point, or 5,882 votes.
The amendment reads, in part, 'No person, physician, or health care provider in the State of West Virginia shall participate in the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.'
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'You know I'm as pro-life as I can possibly get,' Gov. Jim Justice ( said. 'I think listening to the great people of West Virginia, letting them make the decisions and everything, is always the smart money to us.'
Critics continued to push back against the amendment.
'Restoring reproductive freedom, we should be voting on that. But the Republicans won't let us vote on it because they know what the outcome will be, just like in every other state. So, instead, they put this meaningless constitutional amendment on that's banning something that's already banned,' State Party Chair Del. Mike Pushkin (D-Kanawha) said.
This legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers could consider passing a bill to legalize the measure. There is currently no legislative effort to constitutionally ban medically assisted suicide in the Volunteer State.
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