News Articles

"Death Wish: The Final Exit volunteers call it assisted suicide.  Prosecutors may call it manslaughter,"  (Phoenix New Times, 8/23/07)
Two "exit guides" from a Hemlock Society spin-off called the Final Exit Network are facing manslaughter charges in Arizona. (The Hemlock Society later merged with another sister organization and is currently known as Compassion and Choices.)  The possible charges stem from the assisted suicide of Jana Van Voorhis, a 58-year-old Phoenix woman, who was mentally ill. 

Assisted suicide advocates are introducing bills across the United States.  Arizona is among the states where proposals are almost routinely introduced in the state legislature. 

In January 2007, Representative Linda Lopez introduced two bills to legalize assisted suicide.  That was not her first attempt to gain approval of assisted suicide in Arizona. As in previous years, the 2007 bills failed to get out of committee.

In 2003, she introduced a bill which would have legalized "aid-in-dying" to "terminate the life of a qualified patient."   The bill did not get out of committee.  

In January 2004, Lopez introduced a new bill, drafted by assisted suicide supporters under working title, "Patient Comfort and Control Act." It also failed.

In January 2005, Lopez introduced two bill.  Both would permit assisted suicide.  One, called an "Aid-in-Dying" bill (HB 2313}, like Lopez's 2003 bill, is virtually identical to Oregon's assisted suicide law.  The second (HB 2311), is a reintroduction of the failed 2004 measure based on the Patient Comfort and Control Act. 

• Arizona legislator to introduce assisted-suicide bill (Tucson Weekly, 1/8/04)
  Linda Lopez seeks to introduce new bill that permits assisted suicide.  Proposal that would permit prescription for lethal dose is the model bill unveiled at the 2003 Hemlock conference

• Text of 2004 bill.