A bill first introduced in 2015, has been reintroduced in the House to allow terminally ill people in Rhode Island to end their suffering.
The legislation would also protect health care workers from liability for providing the prescription medication needed.
Supporters of the bill say terminally ill patients should not be forced to live in agony with no hope of a reprieve.
Thirteen states including Maine and Vermont, as wells as Washington, D.C., have so-called "death with dignity" laws.
The bill's original author is State Rep Joseph McNamara of Cranston.
(Photo: Rhode Island General Assembly)