This was posted at 2:17 pm today on the Burlington Free Press website.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/viewart/20130213/NEWS03/302130016/Vermont-Senate-considers-end-of-life-bill-amendments
MONTPELIER — A bill to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients could be heading for trouble as the Vermont Senate prepares to debate it.
The Senate on Tuesday rejected a Judiciary Committee recommendation that the bill be defeated. But now as the bill comes up for preliminary passage Wednesday, there might be more efforts to introduce big changes or to delay action.
Sens. Peter Galbraith and Robert Hartwell — two key votes who’ve been undecided on the measure — have introduced an amendment that would replace the entire “end-of-life” choices bill with a measure granting immunity to physicians and caregivers when a terminally ill patient uses prescribed medication to end her or his life.
There also might be a motion Wednesday to delay action for more study.
Debate on the bill had been scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., but the Senate decided to put off the beginning of discussion for at least an hour.