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Physician-assisted suicide bill 1 step closer to governor’s desk

CARSON CITY — A bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide cleared one of the final hurdles on its path to reaching Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk after lawmakers voted to approve the measure Wednesday.

Members of the Assembly voted 23-19 to approve Senate Bill 239, a bill that would allow terminally ill patients over the age of 18 with less than six months to live end their lives with lethal drugs prescribed by a medical practitioner. There was no floor debate among lawmakers before the vote.

All Republican members voted against the bill, joined by Democratic Assemblypersons Tracy Brown-May, D-Las Vegas; Bea Duran, D-Las Vegas; Elaine Marzola, D-Henderson; Cameron Miller, D-North Las Vegas; and Shondra Summers-Armstrong, D-Las Vegas.

The bill passed through the Senate on a razor-thin margin in mid-April.

The measure’s passage was applauded by Sara Manns, a director for Compassion &Choices Action Network.

“It has taken the Nevada End of Life Options Act eight long years since its original introduction in 2015 to get to this point,” Manns said in a statement following the vote. “The people of Nevada are hopeful Governor Lombardo will sign this urgent and compassionate bill, to give dying Nevadans the option to die peacefully, not painfully.”

The bill was amended in the Assembly, and the amended version will need to be approved by the Senate before it can be sent to Lombardo’s desk.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on Twitter.

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