The bill was defeated 23 to 79. In the 1930's, Great Britain and the United States witnessed a burst of pro-euthanasia activity, including the founding of euthanasia societies. In the United States a bill was introduced in Nebraska in 1937, then in New York in 1939, and again in 1947, all of them were rejected. The next significant effort to pass a euthanasia bill did not take place until 1969 in Britain. This bill provided models for bills introduced in Idaho, Oregon, and Montana between 1969 and 1974. Then the euthanasia debate was quieted until the 1980's, when the Hemlock society began their national campaign of euthanasia advocacy (Urofsky 84). Derek Humphry, a former journalist, founded the Hemlock society after seeing the pain his wife experienced in her death from cancer (Death 26). On November 24, 1992 the Michigan House of Representatives passed a provisional anti-euthanasia measure that outlawed assisted suicides for two years beginning March 30,1993, while a committee on death and dying provided recommendations for the legislation. The measure was a felony punishable four years in prison and a $2000 fine. Physician involvement in patient suicides remains an offense in most states, though the degree to which prosecutors, juries, and courts will tolerate the practice depends largely on the circumstances of the case (Urofsky 76,77). .
Euthanasia is emerging as a significant public policy issue at a time when health care policy-making is in turmoil. Most states now recognize that patients have the right to refuse medical treatment, including artificially supplied nutrition and hydration, either themselves if competent, or through the use of advance directives (Urofsky 61,68). The current common law is that a person has the right to bodily self-determination and the doctrine of informed consent. Self-determination means that a person has a right to control what is done with his or her body.
