Civil Rights
Block on Trump's Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
Singer Bon Jovi is lending his support to a new Good Samaritan Overdose Protection law set to be signed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie today.
The new bill promises to provide protection from drug charges for "Good Samaritans" who call 911 to report someone has overdosed, as happened to Bon Jovi's daughter Stephanie in 2012, reports The Star-Ledger.
New Jersey's Good Samaritan law mirrors existing laws in states like New York, where lawmakers have attempted to curb drug deaths by encouraging calls to police.
Generally, Good Samaritan laws prevent do-gooders from being later sued in civil court for any damage they may have caused by attempting to help someone in need.
New Jersey's law, comprised of the Good Samaritan Emergency Response Act and the Opiod Antidote and Overdose Prevention Act, provides two forms of protection:
Perhaps a large part of the reason that Jon Bon Jovi is supporting the bill is that his daughter Stephanie Bongiovi suffered a heroin overdose in her dorm room in 2012.
Bongiovi's classmate at Hamilton College had called 911 in time for medics to revive her. New York's "Good Samaritan 911" law shielded both Bongiovi and her classmate from drug charges.
Although Bon Jovi's daughter survived her brush with death, almost 6,000 people have died from drug overdoses in New Jersey since 2004, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.
When Gov. Christie signs the bill into law, New Jersey will be the 12th state to provide similar Good Samaritan protections and, hopefully, will help prevent more drug overdose deaths.
Related Resources:
Sign into your Legal Forms and Services account to manage your estate planning documents.
Sign InCreate an account allows to take advantage of these benefits: