NJ Assembly panel clears assisted suicide bill

"I wish she had been able to die with the same dignity that she lived," McLaughlin testified.

But not everyone favored the bill. Nearly a dozen opponents testified that the measure is unethical and goes against the doctor's duty to help the dying. Many gave examples of people who received a diagnosis they would die within six months but ended up living for years.

"By no means does terminal mean terminal," said Ana Gomes, a Phillipsburg doctor who said she's seen many cases of people who are incorrectly diagnosed. "We still get it wrong."

Joseph Fennelly, a doctor who chairs the bioethics committee of the Medical Society of New Jersey, said the bill fails to define what is considered terminally ill. He also had issues with patients not being required to notify their families of their decision to die.