A bipartisan group of members of Congress has sent a formal letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on him to keep a closer eye on the 13 states where physician-assisted suicide is permitted by law.
The lawmakers expressed serious concern about whether patients in those states are making fully informed decisions before choosing to end their lives with a doctor’s help. In their letter, they wrote: “There are grave informed consent issues within physician-assisted suicide. Less than one percent of patients receive mental health referrals.”
The letter was written jointly by Republican Senator James Lankford and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, reflecting rare cross-party agreement on the sensitive issue.
