A terminally ill competent person with six months or less to live who meets strict tests can, in 10 states including Maine, New Jersey and Vermont, obtain a prescription from a willing physician to end their life without suffering through the entire disease process. These laws are mostly used by those in the last stages of cancer.

In the last legislative session Senator Somers opposed and voted against giving Connecticut residents these rights. Based on a conversation I had recently with her opponent in the upcoming election, Mr. Rajab, I believe he has an open mind on whether Connecticut should have such a law and is willing to review it if elected. I count myself as among the many who will be voting on Nov. 8 concerned it is long past due that Connecticut should join other states expanding options at end of life to include aid in dying and encourage others to do the same.

James L. Young, Jr.

Mystic