Montana bill preventing assisted suicide was defeated.

Alex Schadenberg

Alex Schadenberg

Executive Director, 

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I have bad news.

Montana Bill SB 136 was defeated in the Montana House on Wednesday April 9 by a vote of 58 to 42. SB 136 would have reversed Montana's permitting of assisted suicide and returned it to protecting it's citizens.

All of the 42 Democrats and 16 Republicans in the Montana House voted against SB 136. 42 Republicans supported the bill.

Montana was the third State to permit assisted suicide in America. In 2009, the Baxter 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 there is no right to assisted suicide in Montana but the Court found a "defense of consent" meaning a Montana physician who assists a suicide must prove that there was consent.

After several legislative attempts to undo the wrongly decided and dangerous Baxter decision, it may require another court case to reverse the Baxter decision.

On March 24, the Montana House Judiciary Committee passed SB 136 by a vote of 11 to 9. SB 136 will go to a full vote in the Montana House.

On February 7, The Montana Senate voted 29 to 20, to pass Senate Bill 136 a bill that legislatively declares that there is no defense of consent in Montana.

Article: Montana bill that prohibits assisted suicide passes in the Senate (Link).