Montana Senate Bill 136 would prevent assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Senator Carl Glimm

Montana State Senator, Carl Glimm introduced Senate Bill 136. SB 136 will prevent assisted suicide by clarifying that consent is not a defense for homicide or assisted suicide.

Montanans have a confusing legal situation concerning assisted suicide. 

In 2009, the Baxter lower court decision declared that Montanans have a right to assisted suicide. The Baxter decision was appealed to the Montana Supreme Court where it was decided that Montanans do not have a right to assisted suicide but the Court found a defense of consent, meaning, a Montana physician who assists a suicide must prove that there was consent. 

Article: Physician-Assisted Suicide is not legal in Montana.

Since the Montana Baxter decision, the assisted suicide lobby claims that assisted suicide is legal in Montanaw while assisted suicide remains technically prohibited. Montanans have been dying by assisted suicide.

SB 136 will prevent assisted suicide by clarifying that consent is not a defense for homicide or assisted suicide. Among other things SB 136 states:

(3) (a) For the purposes of subsection (2)(d), physician aid in dying is against public policy, and a patient's consent to physician aid in dying is not a defense to a charge of homicide against the aiding physician.  

    (b) (i) For the purposes of this subsection (3), "physician aid in dying" means an act by a physician of prescribing a lethal dose of medication to a patient that the patient may self-administer to end the patient's life.  

    (ii) The term does not include an act of withholding or withdrawing a life-sustaining treatment or procedure authorized pursuant to Title 50, chapter 9 or 10."

Contact Montana State Senators and urge them to vote YES on SB 136. (List of legislative members).

Specifically contact the members of the Montana Senate Judiciary Committee immediately: 

Usher, Barry (Chair) (R) Ricci, Vince (VCh) (R) Andrea Olsen (VCh) (D) Emrich, Daniel (R) Lammers, Gayle (R) Manzella, Theresa (R) Neumann, Cora (D) Olsen, Andrea (D) Smith, Laura (D) Vinton, Sue (R)