House committee approves anti-assisted suicide bill, backer says God approves

The House State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously in favor of SB 1070a, the bill to ban assisted suicide and make it a felony. Jason Herring, president of Right to Life of Idaho, told the committee, “All this belongs to God, all this is under His control.” He said anyone assisting with a suicide is “usurping the authority of God and robbing the deathbed of all that is precious and holy in His eyes.” He said,  “We believe the state of Idaho has a vested interest in promoting and maintaining what is righteous and just in the eyes of God.”

Rep. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, while complimenting Herring on his faith, said, “Will you grant that there are those in the state that might not follow the same faith tradition as yours, and whose perspective on death might be different?” Herring responded that he thought his views on the Creator matched those of the founding fathers, but said he respected that others have other views. “I do agree and understand what you’re saying, that not everyone has that same faith background,” he said.

The bill now moves to the full House; it already has passed the Senate. Rep. Phylis King, D-Boise, said, “I kinda had a lot of doubts when I came in the room, because I was thinking this would allow some frivolous person to stop palliative care of a terminal patient.” But she said she’s comfortable now that the bill wouldn’t do that; as amended in the Senate, it’s backed by the Idaho Medical Association. “I think this is actually a pretty decent bill,” King said.