Sen. Bernie Sanders: Terminally Ill Have Right To Choose To End Their Life

Democrat candidate for president Sen. Bernie Sanders says terminally ill individuals who are suffering have a right to choose to end their lives.

Speaking via Skype to a “Seniors Decide Forum” at George Mason University, hosted by the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, Sanders said:

We have to be extremely careful how these decisions are made. A human being is in a situation where they are going to see their life end in a short period of time, where they are suffering, where they choose no longer to be alive. I think they have the right to make that decision for themselves.

Sanders’ remarks were tweeted by the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA):  [TWEET]

@SenSanders on end of life care #SeniorsDecide #hpm pic.twitter.com/SX08tP5kGZ

— Society for PA/LTC (@AMDApaltc) February 17, 2016

“One of the disappointments in the campaign, for whatever reason, is that issues pertaining to seniors are not getting the attention they should,” Sanders said. “It pains me that these are not issues we are discussing anywhere near the degree to which we should.”

Though all Republican and Democratic candidates for president were invited to the forum, only Sanders and a surrogate for Gov. John Kasich – former Virginia Rep. Tom Davis – participated.

NextAvenue reports that Davis – speaking on behalf of Kasich – addressed issues related to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and Alzheimer’s research.

CNSNews observes that Hillary Clinton was asked about her view of assisted suicide by a cancer patient at a recent CNN town hall.

Though Clinton referred to assisted suicide as a “crucial issue that people deserve to understand from their own ethical, religious, faith-based perspective,” she did not indicate whether she is for or against it.

In an interview in 2008, however, Clinton praised Oregon’s assisted suicide laws.

“I believe it’s within the province of the states to make that decision,” Clinton said, reported LifeSiteNews. “I commend Oregon on this count, as well, because whether I agree with it or not or think it’s a good idea or not, the fact that Oregon is breaking new ground and providing valuable information as to what does and doesn’t work when it comes to end-of-life questions, I think, is very beneficial.”