RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A bill that would allow eligible terminally ill patients in Virginia the option of medically-assisted death, or “medical aid in dying,” has passed the state Senate along a narrow margin.
The bill, Senate Bill 280 , passed 21 to 19, along party lines. It previously advanced from Senate committee with a similarly divided vote.
SB 280 would “[allow] an adult diagnosed with a terminal condition to request and an attending health care provider to prescribe a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending the patient’s life,” according to its text.
“This legislation would allow an eligible individual the autonomy to decide when their suffering is too great,” Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Chesterfield), the patron of the bill, said during Senate floor proceedings.
Hashmi said she has spoken to many constituents who support the measure — known broadly as the “Death with Dignity” bill — and added that similar legislation has passed in 10 other states.