Colorado lawmakers revisit right-to-die bill

Colorado Democrats will try again next year to give terminally ill patients the option to end their lives with doctor-prescribed medication.

A similar proposal failed last session, but supporters of the idea are hoping they’ll have momentum after California’s governor signed right-to-die legislation this week.

Other states where doctors can currently prescribe life-ending drugs are Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana.

Last year’s Colorado bill was modeled after Oregon’s law. It would’ve required two doctors to sign off on patients’ requests to end their lives. The patients also would have needed to be found to be mentally competent and be able to administer the life-ending medication themselves.

Opponents of right-to-die laws argue they facilitate suicide and end hope of recovery when a terminal diagnosis may be wrong.