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ST. PAUL — Despite advancing through several House committees, Minnesota's End-of-Life Option Act did not receive a floor vote in the Minnesota House or Senate during the 2024 legislative session, which ended Monday, May 20. The legislation, coauthored by Rochester Rep.

Andy Smith and Sen. Liz Boldon, both DFL, would have permitted medical aid in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide. The proposed law would have allowed terminally ill adults to request a perscription for life-ending medication, which they would have to self-administer.



Since 2016, Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, has introduced the End-of-Life Option Act in the Minnesota House several times. This year, the proposal advanced farther than it ever had before, as the House bill, HF 1930, received a pre-session hearing in the House Health Finance and Policy Committee.

Testimony for and against the bill spanned over three hours. Following the health committee, the medical assistance in dying bill progressed through the House's public safety, judiciary and commerce committees. The bill itself did not receive a House floor vote, nor was it included in the health omnibus bill, which was ultimately passed as part of an even bigger omnibus bill Sunday night.

ADVERTISEMENT The End-of-Life Option Act's companion bill in the Minnesota Senate did not receive any committee hearings in that chamber. In March, Boldon told the Post Bulletin that there was not enough support in the Senate. "It's something that .

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