Ron Silverio, Terminally Ill Delawarean at the End of His Life, Unable to Access Medical Aid in Dying

DOVER, Del., Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Compassion & Choices today released a video featuring Ron Silverio, a Dover resident originally from Everett, Massachusetts, who has been battling metastatic prostate cancer since the spring of 2012.

This past year, Ron joined thousands of his fellow Delawareans in advocating for the state's legislature to pass HB 160, Delaware's End of Life Options Act. The bill was not voted on by the full House of Representatives before the close of Delaware's 2017 legislative session, but it passed out of the House Health and Human Development Committee and will be up for reconsideration in January.

"I would say for me it's peace of mind...because I don't have to think about how I'm going to die," says Ron Silverio in the video. "Knowing five years ago that these options were for me, it would have been wonderful. It really would."

"Ron Silverio is giving so generously of his time during his precious final days advocating for medical aid in dying, a practice he desperately wanted, but unfortunately, will not be able to access in Delaware," said Tim Appleton, Multi-State Campaign and Outreach Manager for Compassion & Choices. "Passing HB160 would enable terminally ill Delaware residents like Ron to have comfort, peace and autonomy in their final days. Ron's is a compelling, powerful voice for why Delawareans must have the option of medical aid in dying."

If enacted, the Medical Aid in Dying Act would allow Delaware to join six other states and the District of Columbia in providing mentally capable, terminally ill adults with the option to request, obtain and self-ingest medication to die peacefully in their sleep if their suffering becomes unbearable. Oregon, where aid in dying has been authorized for two decades, is joined by Washington, Montana, Vermont, California, Colorado and Washington, DC.

The video is posted at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF1bdKUH33Y&feature=youtu.be.
Supporters of this law in Delaware can find their lawmakers here and contact them to pass HB160.

About Compassion & Choices
Compassion & Choices is the nation's oldest and largest non-profit organization working to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. More information is available at www.compassionandchoices.org.

Contact: Tina Posterli, [email protected], 516.404.2265

SOURCE Compassion & Choices

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