BOSTON (AP) — When the time comes, Michael Martignetti isn't sure whether he'll ask his doctor for medication to end his life peacefully. But he wants that option to be there.

"If one day I am terminally ill and I am facing a drawn-out, painful death, I would want the option of medical aid in dying," said Martignetti, who has a degenerative neuromuscular disease. "I don't know if I will use it, but I know I want the peace of mind that I can use it, if I choose."

The 58-year-old Lexington man spoke slowly from his wheelchair Tuesday to members of the Legislature's Public Health Committee as the...