State lawmakers considering assisted suicide bill

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The issue of physician-assisted suicide is returning to Connecticut.

Edward Meyer, a Democratic senator from Guilford, has proposed legislation that would allow a mentally competent person suffering from a terminal illness to take his or her own life with the help prescribed medication. A similar bill was proposed in 2009.

The national President of Compassion and Choices, an end-of-life advocacy group, is expected to be on hand Tuesday for a news conference in Hartford to discuss the bill.

Two years ago, two doctors and end-of-rights advocates sued the state seeking clarification of a decades-old ban against physician-assisted suicide. The case was dismissed.

Family Institute Executive Director Peter Wolfgang has said the reality of physician-assisted suicides is far from peaceful. He is urging lawmakers to instead fund cutting-edge pain management techniques.