Medical Aid In Dying Bill Fails In State Senate

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A measure to allow the terminally ill to end their lives with a doctor's help has failed on a tie vote in the Maryland Senate.

The vote Wednesday was 23-23, short of the majority needed to advance the bill.

A measure to allow adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs had already passed the House. The bill required that a physician certify that the person has the capacity to make the decision, and the prescription can only be self-administered.

The measure went through significant changes in a Senate committee, compared to the House bill. For example, the Senate panel stripped out provisions allowing doctors to have immunity from lawsuits. Patients only would have been eligible, if they had six months to live, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty.