During the summer of 2016, as we worked to pass the End of Life Options Act, I frequently spoke to groups about the legislation. A couple common questions arose: Why did the law contain the specific provisions it did, rather than being more expansive or restrictive? And why we pursued this as a Citizen Initiative instead of going through the legislature.
The answers to these questions are multifaceted. A Citizen Initiative involves a detailed process: drafting, stakeholder involvement, ballot qualification, and post-passage implementation. And if an initiative fails, there’s always the question of what comes next.
At the Crested Butte Forum, these types of questions surfaced often. I explained to the audience that getting an idea into shape for voter approval requires significant time, discussions, meetings, and revisions. With the End of Life Options Act, we had initially attempted to pass the law through the legislature in both the 2015 and 2016 sessions but were unsuccessful. Many in the audience were surprised that we had struggled for two years to get the bill through.
The reality is that the legislative process involves 100 individuals—65 in the House and 35 in the Senate—each representing different constituencies and perspectives. Despite our best efforts, consensus can be elusive, leading us to take the matter directly to the voters.
That presentation in Crested Butte lasted about an hour and a half, with robust audience participation and thoughtful questions.
If you would like someone from End of Life Options Colorado to speak to your group and address these questions or any others, please contact us at info@endoflifeoptionscolorado.org. We would be happy to engage in this important conversati
Lois Court
Former Legislator and Member of the End of Life Options Colorado Board of Directors
