Vermont Senate Refuses to Kill Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 12, 2013   |   8:28PM   |   Montpelier, VT

Although a state legislative committee in Vermont urged the full state Senate to defeat a bill making the state the third to legalize assisted suicide, state senators refused to do so today.

“The Vermont Senate today voted not to accept the Senate Judiciary Committee’s recommendation that Senate Bill 77 be rejected,” Mary Ann Beerworth of Vermont Right to Life told LifeNews. “Thirteen senators voted to reject the bill, while 17 voted not to reject the bill. As a result of today’s vote, debate on the Bill will continue. S.77 is now scheduled for further debate on Thursday, February 14th, at 1:00 p.m.”

“There were admissions from supporters of S. 77 that there are problems and flaws in the Bill.  Those same pro-suicide Senators asked for time to go over the concerns that had been raised throughout today’s debate so that amendments can be drafted to address them,” Beerworth said.

Beerworth told LifeNews that opponents of S. 77 carefully and methodically pointed out the flaws in the bill and that Senator Dick Sears of Bennington, Senator Peg Flory of Rutland and Senator Kevin Mullin, also of Rutland, spoke out against passage of the measure.

“By the end of the day, nearly all of the 13 Senators who voted to reject the bill had stood up to state their reasons for opposing S. 77,” Beerworth explained.

In addition to Sens. Sears, Flory and Mullin, the other Senators who spoke against S.77 are: Senator John Campbell of Windsor; Senator Ann Cummings of Washington;  Senator Jane Kitchel of Caledonia; Senator Rich Westman of Lamoille; Senator Norm McAllister of Franklin; and Senator Joe Benning of Caledonia.  Senator Bobby Starr, Essex/Orleans; Senator Alice Nitka, Windsor; Senator Dick Mazza, Grand Isle; and Senator Bill Doyle, Washington; voted against the Bill, but did not speak during the debate.

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ACTION:  If your Senator(s) is on the list below, please call the State House at 828-2228 and ask the clerk to give a message to your Senator(s). You will need to know their names. Give your name, town and ask that they vote no on S.77.

The following Senators voted not to reject S.77:

Addison – Senators Claire Ayer and Chris Bray

Bennington – Senator Robert Hartwell

Chittenden – Senators Tim Ashe, Philip Baruth, Sally Fox, Ginny Lyons, Diane Snelling, and David Zuckerman

Essex-Orleans – Senator John Rodgers

Franklin – Senator Don Collins

Orange – Senator Mark MacDonald

Rutland – Senator Eldred French

Washington – Senator Anthony Pollina

Windham – Senators Peter Galbraith and Jeanette White

Windsor – Senator Dick McCormack

If you do not know who your Senator(s) are, find out here: https://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/findMyMember.cfm