Expressing the sense of the Congress that assisted suicide (sometimes referred to using other terms) puts everyone, including those most vulnerable, at risk of deadly harm.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 121 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 121

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that assisted suicide (sometimes 
  referred to using other terms) puts everyone, including those most 
                  vulnerable, at risk of deadly harm.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 2026

    Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Correa) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
                              and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that assisted suicide (sometimes 
  referred to using other terms) puts everyone, including those most 
                  vulnerable, at risk of deadly harm.

Whereas ``suicide'' means the act or an instance of ending one's own life 
        voluntarily and intentionally;
Whereas ``assisting in a suicide'', sometimes referred to as death with dignity, 
        end-of-life options, medical aid-in-dying, or similar phrases, means 
        knowingly and willingly prescribing, providing, dispensing, or 
        distributing to an individual a substance, device, or other means that, 
        if taken, used, ingested, or administered as directed, expected, or 
        instructed, will, with reasonable medical certainty, result in the death 
        of the individual, preempting death from disease, accident, injury, age, 
        or other condition;
Whereas society has a longstanding policy of supporting suicide prevention 
        through the efforts of many public and private suicide prevention 
        programs, the benefits of which could be denied under a public policy of 
        assisted suicide;
Whereas assisted suicide most directly threatens the lives of people who are 
        elderly, experience depression, have a disability, or are subject to 
        emotional or financial pressure to end their lives;
Whereas the Oregon Health Authority's annual reports reveal that pain or the 
        fear of pain is listed second to last (30.4 percent) among the reasons 
        cited by all patients seeking lethal drugs since 1998, while the top 5 
        reasons cited are psychological and social concerns: ``losing autonomy'' 
        (89.9 percent), ``less able to engage in activities that make life 
        enjoyable'' (89.3 percent), ``loss of dignity'' (68.7 percent), ``losing 
        control of bodily functions'' (45.4 percent), and ``burden on family 
        friends/caregivers'' (45.7 percent);
Whereas the Supreme Court has ruled twice (in Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 
        702 (1997) and Vacco v. Quill, 521 U.S. 793 (1997)) that there is no 
        constitutional right to assisted suicide, that the Government has a 
        legitimate interest in prohibiting assisted suicide, and that such 
        prohibitions rationally relate to ``protecting the vulnerable from 
        coercion'' and ``protecting disabled and terminally ill people from 
        prejudice, negative and inaccurate stereotypes, and `societal 
        indifference''';
Whereas clearly expressing that assisted suicide is not a legitimate health care 
        service, Congress passed, with a nearly unanimous vote, and President 
        Bill Clinton signed, the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 
        1997 (Public Law 105-12; 111 Stat. 23) to prevent the use of Federal 
        funds for any item or service, including advocacy, provided for the 
        purpose of causing, or assisting in causing, the death of any individual 
        such as by assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing;
Whereas a handful of States have authorized assisted suicide, but over 30 States 
        have rejected over 270 attempts at legalization since 1994;
Whereas studies show that a significant percentage of patients who pursue 
        assisted suicide in legal states are experiencing treatable but 
        overlooked mental health conditions, like depression or anxiety;
Whereas such State laws contain no requirement for a medical attendant to be 
        present at the time the lethal dose is taken, used, ingested, or 
        administered to intervene in the event of medical complications;
Whereas such State laws contain no requirement that a qualified monitor be 
        present to assure that the patient is knowingly and voluntarily taking, 
        using, ingesting, or administering the lethal dose;
Whereas such State laws do not prevent family members, heirs, or health care 
        providers from pressuring patients to request assisted suicide and do 
        not require that family members be notified of the request for lethal 
        drugs;
Whereas such States qualify some patients for assisted suicide by using a broad 
        definition of ``terminal disease'' and ``going to die in six months or 
        less'' that includes diseases (such as diabetes or anorexia) that, if 
        appropriately treated, would not otherwise result in death within 6 
        months;
Whereas it is extremely difficult even for the most experienced doctors to 
        accurately prognosticate a 6-month life expectancy as required, making 
        such a prognosis a prediction, not a certainty;
Whereas reporting requirements vary by State, with some States issuing no 
        reports even though required by law, but when required, rely on 
        prescribing physicians or dispensing pharmacists to self-report;
Whereas such reporting is neither conducted by an objective third party nor of 
        sufficient depth and accuracy to effectively monitor the occurrence of 
        assisted suicide;
Whereas there is an astounding lack of transparency in the practice of assisted 
        suicide to the extent that State health departments and other 
        authorities admittedly have no method of knowing if it is being 
        practiced within the bounds of State laws and have no funding or 
        authority to make such a determination;
Whereas all State laws actively conceal assisted suicide by directing the 
        physician to list the cause of death as the underlying condition without 
        reference to death by suicide;
Whereas the confidential nature of end-of-life decisions makes it virtually 
        impossible to effectively monitor a physician's behavior to prevent 
        abuses, making any number of safeguards insufficient;
Whereas lethal medication is far less costly than many life-saving treatments, 
        which threatens to restrict treatment options, especially for 
        disadvantaged and vulnerable persons, as has happened in several known 
        cases and presumably many more unknown in which insurers have denied or 
        delayed coverage for life-saving care while offering to cover assisted 
        suicide;
Whereas access to personal assistance services such as in-home hospice and 
        palliative care, home health care aides, and nursing care or assistance 
        is regretfully limited and subject to long waiting lists in many areas, 
        placing systemic pressure on patients in need of such personal 
        assistance services to resort to assisted suicide; and
Whereas for all these reasons, assisted suicide undermines the integrity of the 
        health care system: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government should 
ensure that every person facing the end of their life has access to the 
best quality and comprehensive medical care, including palliative, in-
home, or hospice care, tailored to their needs and that the Federal 
Government should not adopt or endorse policies or practices that 
support, encourage, or facilitate suicide or assisted suicide, whether 
by physicians or others.
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