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But a proposed bill in the Texas Legislature would make it easier for terminally ill patients to have access to experimental drugs. Five states have already approved what are known as right-to-try laws, with a few other states considering similar measures.
Supporters say terminally ill patients should have access to potentially life-saving medication. But critics argue these laws set a low bar for patient safety and could endanger patients.
We discuss the ethical issues surrounding "right-to-try" in Texas with Dr. Eugene Boisaubin, a medical ethicist at the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at the UTHealth Science Center at Houston.