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Delaware governor draws criticism from fellow Democrats for vetoing doctor-assisted suicide bill

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Delaware governor draws criticism from fellow Democrats for vetoing doctor-assisted suicide bill
News

News

Delaware governor draws criticism from fellow Democrats for vetoing doctor-assisted suicide bill

2024-09-21 05:38 Last Updated At:05:51

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Democratic Gov. John Carney on Friday vetoed a bill allowing doctor-assisted suicide in Delaware, saying he is “fundamentally and morally opposed” to people killing themselves under the guidance of state law.

Carney said in his veto letter that he has consistently opposed the legislation, while recognizing the “thoughtful views” expressed by both supporters and opponents. He also noted that the legislation cleared both the House and Senate by single votes, an indication that the issue is divisive and controversial.

“Last year, the American Medical Association reaffirmed its view that physician assisted suicide is ‘fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer,’ ” Carney wrote. “And although I understand not everyone shares my views, I am fundamentally and morally opposed to state law enabling someone, even under tragic and painful circumstances, to take their own life.”

Democratic lawmakers blasted Carney’s decision, accusing him of putting his personal feelings ahead of the will of voters.

“The final days of a dying individual should not be dictated by the personal beliefs of one individual, instead, our laws must reflect the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Delawareans who support this fundamental right,” the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Paul Baumbach, said in a prepared statement.

Baumbach, a Newark Democrat, said he has been in contact with Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, and that House Speaker Valerie Longhurst has already expressed support for a veto override. Any attempt at an override, however, could be complicated by the fact that Baumbach is retiring, and Longhurst lost a primary bid for reelection this month. Their terms end at midnight Nov. 5.

Senate Democratic leaders said they were “deeply disappointed” by Carney’s decision but vowed that doctor-assisted suicide will eventually become law in Delaware.

“Whether via a veto override in 2024 or via new legislation in 2025, there will come a day soon when this legislation becomes law, and Delawareans are afforded the respect and support they deserve in their final stages of life,” Senate majority leaders said in a prepared statement.

The bill Carney vetoed won final passage in June on an 11-10 vote in the Senate. That vote came after senators voted by that same margin to reconsider the legislation and rescind a vote taken the prior week in which the bill was defeated. Sen. Kyra Hoffner, a Smyrna-area Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, cast the deciding vote after tearfully declining to vote the previous week.

Republicans harshly criticized the measure, with Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn saying the bill suggests that “some lives are less worth living.”

Democrat Majority Leader Bryan Townsend countered that assisted suicide is not about “eliminating” terminally ill patients, but “empowering” them.

The Patients Rights Action Fund, an advocacy group opposed to assisted suicide, said Carney demonstrated a commitment to “protecting Delaware’s most vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, older adults, and historically underrepresented communities.”

“By vetoing this legislation, Governor Carney has reaffirmed the foundational principles of medical ethics, safeguarding people who might otherwise face pressure or coercion to end their lives due to external factors, such as economic challenges or societal discrimination,” the group said.

Currently, doctor-assisted suicide is legal in only 10 states, along with the District of Columbia.

The Delaware bill was the latest iteration of legislation repeatedly introduced by Baumbach since 2015, and the only version to make it to a floor vote.

The legislation would allow an adult resident of Delaware who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and expected to die within six months to request lethal prescription drugs from a doctor or an advanced- practice registered nurse who has primary responsibility for the terminal illness. A consulting physician or nurse would have to confirm the diagnosis and prognosis of the patient, who must have “decision-making capacity.”

The patient would have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist or a psychologist if any of the medical professionals was concerned that the patient lacks decision-making capacity. A person also would not qualify for doctor-assisted suicide solely because of age or disability.

The patient would have to make two oral requests for a lethal prescription, followed by a written request, and would have to wait at least 15 days after the initial request before receiving and self-administering the drugs. The attending doctor or nurse would have to wait at least 48 hours after the written request, which must be signed by two witnesses, before prescribing the drugs.

FILE - Delaware Gov. John Carney speaks at an Amtrak facility in Bear, Del., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - Delaware Gov. John Carney speaks at an Amtrak facility in Bear, Del., Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

LONDON (AP) — A British teen pleaded guilty Monday to murdering three girls and attempting to kill 10 other people in what a prosecutor said was a “meticulously planned” stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, entered the surprise plea as jury selection had been expected to begin at the start of his trial in Liverpool Crown Court.

The July 29 stabbings sent shock waves across the U.K. and led to a week of widespread rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland after the suspect was falsely identified as an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat. He was born in Wales.

The attack occurred on the first day of summer vacation when the little girls at the Hart Space, a sanctuary hidden behind a row of houses, were in a class to learn yoga and dance to the songs of Taylor Swift. What was supposed to be a day of joy turned to terror and heartbreak when Rudakubana, armed with a knife, intruded and began stabbing the girls and their teacher in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England.

“This was an unspeakable attack — one which left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and senselessness," Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said. “A day which should have been one of carefree innocence; of children enjoying a dance workshop and making friendship bracelets, became a scene of the darkest horror as Axel Rudakubana carried out his meticulously planned rampage.”

Prosecutors haven’t said what they believe led Rudakubana — who was days shy of his 18th birthday — to commit the atrocities, but Doyle said that it was clear he had a “a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence.”

Rudakubana had consistently refused to speak in court and did so once again when asked to identify himself at the start of the proceedings. But he broke his silence when he was read the 16-count indictment and asked to enter a plea, replying “guilty” to each charge.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and for having an al-Qaida manual.

Rudakubana faces life imprisonment when sentenced Thursday, Justice Julian Goose said.

Defense lawyer Stanley Reiz said that he would present information to the judge about Rudakubana's mental health that may be relevant to his sentence.

The surviving victims and family members of those killed were absent in court, because they had expected to arrive Tuesday for opening statements.

Goose asked the prosecutor to apologize on his behalf that they weren't present to hear Rudakubana plead guilty.

He pleaded guilty to murdering Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6.

Eight other girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, were wounded, along with instructor Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, who worked in a business next door and intervened. Fifteen other girls, as young as 5, were at the class but uninjured. Under a court order, none of the surviving girls can be named.

Hayes, who was stabbed and seriously wounded, said he still had flashbacks to the attack and was “hugely upset at the time that I wasn’t able to do more.”

“But I did what I could in the circumstances,” he told Sky News. “I’m grateful to be here, and by all accounts I’ll make a full recovery, at least physically. … I’m going to be OK and others won’t be, and that’s really where I I think the focus of attention should be.”

Police said the stabbings weren’t classified as acts of terrorism because the motive wasn’t known.

Several months after his arrest at the scene of the crime, Rudakubana was charged with additional counts for production of a biological toxin, ricin and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism for having the manual in a document on his computer.

Police said they found the evidence during a search of his family's home in a neighboring village.

The day after the killings — and shortly after a peaceful vigil for the victims — a violent group attacked a mosque near the crime scene and pelted police officers with bricks and bottles and set fire to police vehicles.

Rioting then spread to dozens of other towns over the next week when groups made up mostly of men mobilized by far-right activists on social media clashed with police during violent protests and attacked hotels housing migrants.

More than 1,200 people were arrested for the disorder and hundreds have been jailed for up to nine years in prison.

In this Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook, Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana appears on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, where he has pleaded guilty to killing three young girls and wounded 10 other people in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)

In this Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook, Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana appears on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, where he has pleaded guilty to killing three young girls and wounded 10 other people in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)

People queue at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Axel Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

People queue at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Axel Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

A prison van believed to contain Axel Rudakubana arrives at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

A prison van believed to contain Axel Rudakubana arrives at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

A prison van believed to contain Axel Rudakubana arrives at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

A prison van believed to contain Axel Rudakubana arrives at Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, England, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 where Rudakubana is charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.(AP Photo/Jon Super)

FILE - Police officers watch members of the public outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)

FILE - Police officers watch members of the public outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)

FILE - Tributes are seen outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)

FILE - Tributes are seen outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)

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