Nevada bill would let terminally ill patients self-administer their death

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A bill being considered in the Nevada Legislature would allow those with terminal illnesses to end their own lives without the need for physicians.

SB239, if passed, would also enable physicians to prescribe medication designed to end the life of a patient under certain circumstances while giving immunity to healthcare providers who do so.

Current law states that a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness may refuse life-resuscitating or life-sustaining treatment in certain cases.

The bill would authorize, “a patient, under certain circumstances, to self-administer a medication that is designed to end the life of the patient,” after making two verbal requests and one written after being found competent.

If passed, the bill would go into effect immediately.