DOVER, DE (AP) – A bill allowing doctor-assisted suicide in Delaware failed to win approval in the Delaware Senate after narrowly clearing the House earlier this year, but it could come back again this week. House Bill 140 failed after three members of the Democrat Caucus spoke against the measure. No Republican lawmakers voted for it. In a strategic move that could allow the bill to come back for a vote this week before the legislative session ends, Majority Leader Bryan Townsend of Newark, switched his vote from “yes” to “no.” Under Senate rules, a motion for reconsideration can be made by a member who voted on the prevailing side, which in this case includes the “no votes” and members not voting. Opponents have expressed ethical concerns about the Delaware legislation and questioned the need for it, given advances in hospice and palliative care in recent years.
