Joint committee hears hours of testimony for and against end‑of‑life options bill

The Joint Committee on Public Health heard more than three hours of testimony on House Bill 2505 and Senate Bill 1486, an act that would allow mentally capable adults diagnosed with a terminal illness to receive a physician-prescribed medication to self-administer in order to hasten death.

Supporters, including members of the Legislature who filed the bill and several patients and family members, told the committee the measure would give a small group of terminally ill residents a final option to avoid protracted suffering. Opponents — including disability-rights groups, some physicians, and faith organizations — warned that legal safeguards can erode over time, that the laws create pressure on vulnerable people, and that insurance or providers might shift incentives away from life‑prolonging care.

The bill’s sponsors told the committee the proposal includes multiple written and oral safeguards. Representative Jim O’Day and Representative Sean Phillips, who co-sponsor the House bill, described the measure as narrowly drawn: patients must be Massachusetts residents, at least 18, diagnosed with a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less, judged mentally capable, and physically able to self‑ingest the medication. Representative Phillips…