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Supporters testify for end-of-life legislation at Capitol
The proposed bill, which would give terminally ill adults the choice to use physician-assisted, end-of-life options, was debated for nearly five hours Thursday.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A bipartisan meeting of minds at the Minnesota State Capitol Thursday had lawmakers debating whether Minnesotans should be afforded the right to die.
The proposed legislation, which would give terminally ill adults the choice to use physician-assisted, end-of-life options, was debated in a nearly five-hour-long hearing. At its conclusion, the House Health committee made the rare move to push the bill forward, despite the legislature being between sessions.
The debate around the End-of-Life Option bill (HF 1930), introduced by State Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley), is not new to the floor of the legislature. The highly contentious topic of medically assisted suicides first started making waves in the United States back in 1998, when Oregon passed a similar law allowing terminally ill patients with fewer than six months to live to choose how and when they want to die. Freiberg said his bill, introduced in Minnesota in 2015, is modeled after Oregon’s.
If Freiberg’s bill does eventually become law, it would allow a medical professional to aid in a patient’s death by prescribing a lethal medication. To qualify, a person must be over 18 years old; be diagnosed with a terminal illness with the prognosis of six months or less to live; eligible for hospice; have the mental capacity to make health care decisions and provide informed consent; and they must have the ability to self-administer medications.
Additionally, two health care providers must be present, at least one of whom must be a nurse practitioner or physician who evaluates the patient and agrees they’ve met those qualifications.
“This is a bill that emphasizes personal autonomy at the end of a difficult life,” Freiberg said in Thursday’s hearing. “I’ve heard very difficult stories from so many Minnesotans, and some have dealt with loved ones dealing with unimaginable suffering. Some have terminal diseases themselves and want an option to end their suffering when it becomes unbearable. This bill will give them this option.”
Freiberg went on to claim data shows the majority of Minnesotans — and Americans overall — support of an end-of-life option.
Some of those supporters testified during Thursday’s hearing, including Nany Uden, of Corcoran, Minnesota, who said her life was forever changed after a seizure caused her to crash her vehicle in November of 2022. After waking up in the hospital, Uden said doctors told her they found a brain mass. The discovery led her to Rochester’s Mayo Clinic, where she was ultimately diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of terminal brain cancer.
“I promised my family that I would fight this ugly disease until there’s no hope left and my death is inevitable. So if there are no more treatment options, then I deserve more death options,” Uden said, adding, “I’m not afraid of death, but I am afraid of how I will die.”
Uden said the legislation would allow patients like her to end their lives on their own terms, instead of having to endure a “slow, painful death.”
“While I’ve always supported the idea of dying on one’s own terms, it is now very real and urgent to me personally,” she said. “I don’t have time for a long debate. This bill has been in front of the Minnesota Legislature for 10 years already. It’s time to act.”
The committee also listened to testimony from Dr. Cory Carroll, a practicing physician in Fort Collins, Colorado, who also works as the part-time medical director for the nonprofit Compassion and Choices. The organization works to educate, support and mentor physicians around the country who are incorporating medical aid in dying in their practices. Colorado adopted its end-of-life options legislation in December of 2016.
Carroll said data shows patients who have requested medical aid in dying have typically endured years of treatment for chronic conditions and had already been placed in hospice care.
“They do not want to die,” he said, “but have accepted their death is inevitable and want to avoid unnecessary suffering.”
Opponents of the legislation argue the idea, which has now been enacted in 10 states and Washington, D.C., is a “slippery slope.”
“Every life has value and we’ve seen a disturbing and slippery slope for programs like these in other states and countries,” said House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) in a statement following the hearing.
In a separate statement, Senate Republican Health and Human Services Committee Lead Paul Utke (Park Rapids) added he believes the bill is “extremely dangerous.”
“A person’s right to life does not depend on their quality of life, mental health, or income,” he said. “This bill is an extremely dangerous policy that will pit Minnesotans against one another and divide families facing challenging situations.”
Legislators debating the bill will take their next steps after the start of the 2024 Legislative Session, which begins on Feb. 12., in a hearing with the House Public Safety Committee.
The Senate’s version of the bill will be heard after session begins. That hearing has not yet been scheduled.
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
