The call to the Plainfield, Conn., police on Feb. 23 was chilling: The 62-year-old man on the line provided his name and address, and instructions about which door he would leave unlocked for police. His wife was suffering from terminal cancer, and he was about to end both their lives by gunshot. When police arrived, they found exactly what he told them to expect.
When death comes slowly and with agony, both the person for whom it is coming and those who love them suffer immensely. Besides overwhelming pain, discomfort and exhaustion, the seemingly endless indignities endured by once-strong people losing control over their own bodies are heartbreaking. It is not an end anyone would choose if they had a choice.
Escaping such suffering should be a choice.
That is why we have introduced the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act (2026-H 7760, 2026-S 2051), which would establish the right and process for terminally ill individuals to end their lives comfortably and on their own terms.
The bill would allow terminally ill adult patients to request from their physician a prescription for medication to be self-administered to hasten the patient’s death, and provides criminal and civil protections for health care providers and others who assist the patient in obtaining it.
Thirteen other states, plus the District of Columbia have similar “Death with Dignity” laws, providing ample experience that has shaped the protections in our bill. The legislation does not create a “slippery slope” that would allow for the murder of helpless incapacitated individuals. It spells out a careful process and numerous conditions that must be met, including that the patient make two documented requests, with witnesses, at least 15 days apart and that there is verification that the patient does not have impaired judgment. The patient must be fully informed of their prognosis, treatment options, and all feasible end-of-life services including palliative care, comfort care, hospice care and pain control, and be referred to another physician for second opinions.
The bill’s namesake — Rhode Island’s first female Senate minority leader and a stalwart who fought from the 1960s onward for gender equality, bodily autonomy, civil liberties, health care and many other important causes — was working on the development and promotion of this bill when she passed away in 2014.
Lila Sapinsley died at home in her favorite chair with a book in her lap. It was the sort of peaceful, comfortable and dignified end she hoped to make available to all.
We and many other Rhode Islanders believe that allowing dying people to end their lives on their own terms instead of suffering through the slow, painful deterioration of their own bodies is truly respectful of their lives and their dignity.
It shouldn’t be that a spouse would choose to end his own life too because the only way to spare his wife further suffering is to do it illegally and face a murder charge. Enabling a dying person to end their suffering at their own request is compassion — not a crime.
We urge our colleagues in the General Assembly to enable Rhode Islanders to make their own end-of-life decisions by passing the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act this legislative session.
Rep. Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 1, Providence) has introduced the Lila Mansfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act every year since 2015. Sen. Meghan E. Kallman (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket, Providence) has been the act’s Senate sponsor since 2023.
