Attempt to Raise Assisted Suicide Bill in New Hampshire Decisively Defeated

Dear Advocates and Friends, 

Last week we shared the good news that the New Hampshire assisted suicide bill was tabled by a slim margin of a single vote. Today, an attempt was made to raise it from the table. I'm pleased to inform you that the attempt failed! In a sharp turn from the close vote of last week, 205 legislators voted against removing the bill from the table, to 169 votes in support. There remains the technical chance that the bill could be raised again but, given the decisive vote today, the likelihood of such an action is highly unlikely.    

I remain grateful to the wonderful advocates on the ground who continue to show up, write letters, meet with legislators, and do the work of educating their neighbors on this important issue. Thanks to their tireless efforts, New Hampshire remains safe today and likely for the rest of the session, from the dangerous and discriminatory policy of assisted suicide. 

Onward!

Jessica Rodgers (pictured above)

New Hampshire Assisted Suicide Bill Likely Dead

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

The New Hampshire assisted suicide bill (House Bill 254) is likely dead in 2025 following a close vote to table the bill in the House of Representatives.  William Skipworth reported for The New Hampshire Bulletin on March 20, 2025 that:

By a single vote, the New Hampshire House of Representatives decided to table a proposal to legalize assisted suicide.

By tabling this bill, the House decided not to advance it to the Senate, but didn’t kill it entirely. Lawmakers can still bring it back up for a vote should they choose. The bipartisan vote to table it was 183-182.

Senate Kills HB 1283

https://www.concordmonitor.com/NH-Senate-kills-MAID-55151269

After months of intense public debate, with Granite Staters on both sides of the legislation that would allow medical aid in dying [meaning assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia], packing the room at every public hearing, the Senate voted on Thursday to kill the bill....

The bill, which was struck down in the senate with a vote of 17-7 and referred to an interim study, proposed granting individuals aged 18 and above, diagnosed with a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less, and having sound mental capacity, the option to end their lives without suffering from the disease. ...

From the time the bill was introduced, legislators said they were flooded with testimonies both in favor of and against it. According to the state website, 658 individuals voiced their support, while 1,125 testified against it...

Nancy Elliot Made a Difference

By Margaret Dore, Esq.

I first met Nancy in 2009, due to her having invited me to testify in opposition to HB 303, a then pending bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in the New Hampshire Legislature. 

The bill was defeated in large part due to her efforts, both in front and behind the scenes.

Press Release: "Death With Dignity Act" Will Create a Perfect Crime

To view release as sent, click here.

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA, February 12, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Attorney Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, which has fought against assisted suicide and euthanasia legalization efforts in many states, made the following statement in connection with a bill seeking to legalize these practices in New Hampshire. (HB 1659). HEARING TODAY Wednesday, 02/12/20, 1:00 P.M., SH Rm Reps Hall, House Judiciary.

HB 1659-FN: Say No to Non-Voluntary Euthanasia

By Margaret Dore, Esq.

Margaret Dore, Esq.

This is a short summary version, click here to view Dore memo.

The proposed Death with Dignity Act is based on a similar Act in Oregon. Both Acts apply to people predicted to have less than six months to live. In real life, such predictions are often wrong due to mistake and because predicting how long a person will live is an inexact science; sometimes a disease process will stop on its own. 

If passed into law, the Act will apply to people with years or decades to live. This will be especially true if New Hampshire follows Oregon practice to determine life expectancies without treatment. Young adults with chronic conditions, such as insulin dependent diabetes, will be considered terminal and therefore subject to the Act.

Assisting persons, such as family members, can have an agenda, with the more obvious reasons being inheritance and life insurance.