Big Step in New Hampshire | End of Life Options Act to be heard by House of Representatives

For the first time ever, a medical-aid-in-dying bill is making its way through the New Hampshire legislature. On Tuesday, the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee voted 13-7 to recommend that HB1283, the NH End of Life Options Act, be heard by the full House of Representatives. A vote could happen as soon as two weeks from now.

Action Item: Please contact everyone you know in New Hampshire and ask them to reach out to their legislative representatives. You can simply forward this email.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has 400 members. Supporters in New Hampshire need to reach every one of them with a personal story about why this issue is so important. Here are three of the most effective ways to ask them to vote yes on HB1283:

• Send them a letter with your personal story in the US Mail.
• Call and speak to your representative or leave them a message.
• Send an e-mail expressing why you support the bill.

Contact information for New Hampshire House members may be found online.

This is very good news for New Hampshire Residents.

71% of New Hampshire residents support medical aid-in-dying legislation to give terminally-ill adults in New Hampshire the legal option to take prescription medication to gently end intolerable suffering, while only 17% oppose the bill.

It is also very important to Vermonters.

Thousands of Vermonters receive their healthcare at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Hanover, NH. The differing legal status of Medical Aid in Dying in the two states has caused ongoing confusion and complications for many Vermont patients. If the New Hampshire bill is adopted, we anticipate a large leap in knowledge and awareness among New Hampshire healthcare providers. As they gain familiarity with MAID, they will gain greater comfort when fielding questions, provide more accurate and timely information to patients, and patients will have better access to medical aid in dying.

Who is leading the campaign in New Hampshire?

Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) is working closely with our colleagues at the New Hampshire Alliance for End of Life Options, a 501(c)(3) non-profit citizen’s action group that is leading the education and lobbying effort in support of the bill. 

They say, “We truly have one thing in common, we all will die. We believe that having the freedom to determine how we end our lives, when death is inevitable, is a basic human right.” 

Find out more at their website: NHEndOfLifeOptions.org.

As always, the PCV team deeply appreciates your interest and support. 

One of the hardest stories we hear at PCV comes from people who are dying and want relief from suffering only to find out about medical aid in dying too late. PCV's supporters are among the most knowledgeable people in the state on this topic. Please consider who else in your circle of friends might benefit from becoming more informed about end-of-life options, encourage them to learn more at PatientChoices.org and to sign up for our email newsletters.