Delaware governor signs bill allowing physician-assisted suicide despite ‘public opposition’

Delaware has become the latest state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, signed House Bill 140 into law Tuesday, making his state the 12th jurisdiction to permit it.

“This signing today is about relieving suffering and giving families the comfort of knowing that their loved one was able to pass on their own terms without unnecessary pain and surrounded by the people they love the most,” Meyer said at the signing ceremony, reported by Delaware Public Media.

“For many of you — many more than me — this has been a long journey,” he continued. “For nearly a decade, this idea has been debated and delayed, but always defended by those of you who believed deeply that it was the right thing to do.”

National Right to Life blasted the new law, saying it doesn’t help anyone.

“Delaware Governor Matt Meyer tragically signed the state’s assisted suicide bill into law after ten years of public opposition,” the organization posted on X. “This new law puts lives at risk because assisted suicide laws offer no compassion, no hope, and no help for vulnerable members of our society.”

The measure passed narrowly in both state legislature chambers: 21-17 in the House and 11-8 in the Senate. Some Democrats joined Republicans in opposition to both. 

The legislation passed in both chambers last session, but former Gov. John Carney, another Democrat, vetoed it. 

“During my time as Governor, and since this legislation was first introduced, I have consistently opposed a state law that would allow physician-assisted suicide,” Carney, a Catholic, said in a release accompanying his veto last year. “I have always recognized, and do today, that this is a deeply personal issue. Supporters and opponents alike have thoughtful views on the subject, in many cases, informed by their own painful, personal experiences.” 

The signing comes as assisted suicide legislation recently died in Nevada, as Gov. Joe Lombardo threatened to veto it. 

“Expansions in palliative care services and continued improvements in advanced pain management make the end-of-life-provisions in AB346 unnecessary, and I would encourage the 2025 Legislature to disregard AB346 because I will not sign it,” Lombardo said in a statement last month. 

Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2016. By 2022, it had become the country’s fifth-leading cause of death, increasing from 1,018 cases in 2016 to 13,241 cases in 2022.