Emotions are high as supporters and opponents of an assisted-suicide bill, named the Compassionate Care Act, prepare to testify on the issue at noon.

Supporters claim that the act will give people with terminal illnesses an option to “die with dignity,” on their own terms instead of suffering prolonged, excruciating pain. Opponents say the assisted-suicide measure is dangerous and could lead to the abuse of disabled and elderly people, mistakes and an increase in suicide rates if the bill becomes law.

Sally Settle and other backers say that allowing terminally ill patients the option of medically recommended end of life brings peace, even if they choose not to take the lethal medication and die of natural causes. When Settle’s mother was diagnosed with leukemia, the 75-year-old wanted to move to Oregon, where she could end her life with a fatal prescription, legal there since the 1990s, but forbidden in Minnesota.

“Most likely the blood transfusions would quit working and she would bleed to death over several days out of every orifice of her body,” Settle said of her mother’s prognosis. “The recommendation to our family was to have a lot of dark-colored towels to minimize the trauma.”

Settle said that if medically assisted suicide were legal in Minnesota, people like her mother would not be forced to decide between leaving their homes and families and dying in peace.

Elizabeth Bakewicz of Lakeville has a different perspective.

Bakewicz, 35, has terminal brain cancer and was given a prognosis of three to five years, she said. She has already outlived it. She was told that she would be infertile because of the cancer and treatment but had her second child last year.

“We have to be very careful of telling people through a government action that they are a burden when there is more life to be lived,” said Bakewicz, who received her diagnosis in 2009.

The bill will be heard in the Senate Committee on Health, Human Services and Housing. The panel will meet at noon in the Senate Office Building.

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Read on:

What is the Compassionate Care Act?

The proposed Compassionate Care Act would allow terminally ill Minnesota adults to receive lethal prescriptions from their doctors instead of dying through the natural progression of a disease.

The patient would have to be diagnosed with six months or less to live. They would have to be mentally competent — able to make sound decisions and understand the implications. Patients also must be able to take the medication themselves. Two physicians must confirm that the patient meets the criteria.

The patient would have to submit two written requests, each with two witnesses. The attending physician must give the patient information on alternatives, such as hospice. Patients could rescind a request anytime.

Haven’t I heard about this before?

The bill was presented to a Senate committee last year in an informational hearing, but there was no vote. Sen. Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center, introduced the bill in 2015 “to get the conversation started.” She has since held several public informational meetings.

Would federal law interfere?

No. The federal government has no assisted-suicide laws.

What other states permit medically assisted suicides?

California, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have laws permitting “physician aid in dying.” In Montana and New Mexico, the practice is protected by court rulings.

Oregon and Washington approved physician-assisted suicide through voter initiatives and their laws went into effect in 1998 and 2009, respectively.

Vermont legalized the practice through the Legislature in 2013, and California followed in 2015, though it hasn’t gone into effect yet.

A 2009 Montana court ruling protects physicians from prosecution in assisted-suicide cases, which effectively legalizes the practice. New Mexico had a similar ruling in 2014, but an appeals court reversed it and a final decision is pending.

In all cases, physicians can assist in suicides only of terminally ill patients who meet requirements similar to the ones included in Minnesota’s proposal. Most of the legislation, including the Compassionate Care Act, is based on Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.

What about other states?

Massachusetts defeated a ballot initiative, Prescribing Medication to End Life, in 2012, and the Colorado Death With Dignity act was defeated in 2015.

In addition to Minnesota, similar legislation was considered but not passed in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming, the National Conference of State Legislatures said.

Where do doctors stand?

According to the proposed legislation, health care providers and facilities could opt out but must transfer the patient seeking suicide assistance to a willing physician or facility.

The Minnesota Medical Association currently opposes assisted suicide as well as euthanasia but is up for discussion. Once this session concludes, the association plans to convene a work group to discuss the topic in-depth. A forum is also planned at the group’s annual conference in September, spokesman Dan Hauser said.

The discussion was prompted by Eaton’s proposal last year, Hauser said.

Where it’s allowed, how many people use the law?

Oregon: Since the law went into effect in 1998, 1,545 people have had prescriptions written under the state’s Death with Dignity Act. Of those, 991 patients died from ingesting the medications. In 2014, 155 people received the medication and 94 died from ingesting it.

Washington: Since the law went into effect in 2009, 723 people have been prescribed lethal medication under the Washington Death with Dignity Act. Of those, 485 died from ingesting the medication. In 2014, 176 people received the medication and 126 died from ingesting it.

Vermont: The Vermont Department of Health does not track how many prescriptions have been dispensed or used, only how many people apply who are eligible. As of March 2, 22 people have applied and met the requirements for aid-in-dying, said spokesman Ben Truman.

Others: Health Departments in Montana and New Mexico did not respond when contacted for any available statistics on Tuesday.

According to statistics provided by Washington and Oregon, most people who chose to receive a lethal prescription are white and have at least some college education. The majority have cancer, though patients also suffered from neurodegenerative, heart and respiratory diseases.