May 16, 2023

New Vermont Law Allows Non-Residents to Die by Assisted Suicide

On May 2, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed a law making his state the first in the nation to legalize assisted suicide for non-residents.

Vermont's assisted suicide law originally required that any recipients of assisted suicide be residents of Vermont. By removing this requirement, Vermont has opened itself up for "assisted suicide tourism." Vulnerable people from other states will travel to Vermont to be killed by euthanasia.

Mary Hahn Beerworth, executive director of the Vermont Right to Life Committee, testified before a legislative committee in March.

“To be clear, Vermont Right to Life opposed the underlying concept behind assisted suicide and opposes the move to remove the residency requirement as there are still no safeguards that protect vulnerable patients from coercion,” Beerworth said.