Assisted suicide bill faces legislative deadline

BOSTON – The clock is ticking to pull the plug or put a bill before Bay State lawmakers that would make physician-assisted suicide legal in Massachusetts, as the Joint Committee on Public Health has until Wednesday to recommend action on the measure.
The bill (HB 1991) began its legislative journey anew at the beginning of last year after an identical measure failed in the previous session. It was refiled in January 2015 by state Rep. Louis Kafka (D-Stoughton), which led to an October hearing before the public health committee. Massachusetts voters rejected a similar measure when it appeared on the 2012 general election ballot.