Louisiana: Right to die bill passes through House committee

A bill to expedite the right to die passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday. The bill provides notification to convicted death penalty defendants of their right to waive their appeals.

Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, sponsored the bill. It now heads to the full Senate for debate. The case of Gerald Bordelon, a man convicted in the death of a young girl in Livingston Parish, made history when he effectively waived his rights to appeal and was executed this year.

Opponents of Claitor's bill argue it would actually slow the execution process, while supporters say it's only a matter of information.

"That never dawned on me that folks couldn't waive their rights to appeal on a death sentence," said Claitor. "So, if you want to meet your maker, there's an opportunity for that."

"Since he had already been sentenced to the death penalty and he did not want out of prison," said Alethea Bordelon, the mother of Gerald Bordelon. "He was afraid of killing someone else."

The Bordelon bill notifies the offender in person and in written form shortly after the initial conviction.

Source: WAFB News, May 12, 2010