Literature Review

Death with dignity: States expanding end-of-life options despite controversiesBNN, by Safak Costu; 2/14/24In the ongoing debate about the right to die, states like Colorado and Hawaii face challenges implementing 'death with dignity' laws. Catholic opposition and ethical concerns persist, yet efforts to expand continue.

US CDC plans to drop five-day COVID isolation guidelinesReuters; 2/13/24The U.S. CDC plans to drop its five-day COVID-19 isolation recommendations under new guidance planned by the agency, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Legislative proposal on end-of-life options: The MMA’s take (February 2024) Minnesota Medical Association; 2/12/24Among the many important issuesthat the Minnesota Legislature will consider this year,at least one is expected to generate significant passions both in support and in opposition. That proposal, known as the End-of-Life Option Act, addressesa practice referred to as medical aid-in-dying or, for some, assisted suicide. It is a proposal that merits scrutiny and robust deliberation.

5 recent MAID articles

Over 70% of New Yorkers favor Medical Aid in Dying bill, new poll finds City & State New York, by Rebecca C. Lewis; 2/8/24 A new poll commissioned by the groups Death With Dignity and the Completed Life Initiative found that a majority of New Yorkers – over 70% – favor legislation that would permit doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients medication to end their own lives. Patient protections are major concern at emotional hearing on medical aid-in-dying bill Maryland Matters, by Danielle J. Brown; 2/9/24 There have been prior attempts to pass aid-in-dying bills in Maryland, while 10 other states and Washington, D.C. have passed similar legislation. Publisher's note: Discussion of Maryland's SB 443 and HB 403. Both bills are titled the “End-of-Life Option Act (The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings and the Honorable Shane E. Pendergrass Act).” End of Life Act again proposed in Maryland, lawmakers believe it could pass this year WBALTV-11, by David Collins; 2/8/24 More than 100 people signed up Thursday to testify for and against Maryland's End of Life Option Act, which would legalize medical aid in dying. Lawmakers have tried for years to pass the legislation, but supporters believe the political climate has changed and this is the year it will pass. Should Illinois become 11th state to adopt 'right to die' legislation? Chicago Sun-Times, by Tina Sfondeles; 2/9/24 Illinois Senate Democrats are moving forward on legislation that would give mentally capable patients who are terminally ill an option of ending their own lives. Should treatment for severe mental illness include medical assistance in dying? The Hill, by Anand Kumar, Sally Weinstein; 2/9/24 Canada is on the threshold of enacting a law that would make medical assistance in dying (MAiD) accessible to people whose only medical condition is mental illness. If this were to pass, Canada would be one of only a handful of countries to extend that process for patients with serious mental illness.

Medical assistance in dying bill draws large turnoutConcord Monitor, by Sruthi Gopalakrishnan; 2/7/24People in wheelchairs, others relying on crutches, some facing terminal illness and some caregivers packed a hearing Wednesday for a bill that would allow medically assisted dying in New Hampshire. While most of the attendees expressed support for House Bill 1283 to help those enduring pain during the final stages of life, Jonathan Eddinger, president of the state board of medicine, advocates for a shift in focus toward improving the ability to alleviate pain and suffering rather than making death an option to end such agony.

Las Vegas conference examines the impact of 'right to die' lawsMountain West News Bureau, by Yvette Fernandez; 2/5/24A University of Nevada Las Vegas conference [discussed] "lessons learned" from U.S. states and other countries that allow medical aid in dying. Dr. David Orentlicher is head of the UNLV Health Law Program, which held the conference on Feb. 1 and 2. He said so-called "right to die" laws in the United States have very strict requirements. ... Only 10 states and the District of Columbia allow for medical aid in dying. ... As a Nevada legislator, Orentlicher was one of the co-sponsors of the “Death with Dignity” bill, SB 239, ... said the option of having a physician present could improve state laws.

Real aid in dying means caring for the dying, not helping them to die - OpinionNewsweek, by F. Matthew Eppinette; 1/31/24... [Medical aide in dying is legal] in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As state legislatures convene for 2024, 18 states have had assisted-suicide-enabling legislation introduced, or have it pending from last year, when such legislation was introduced in 15 states. Arguments will be made that the prospect of pain at the end of life means assisted suicide should be legal. It is worth asking, however, whether legalizing assisted suicide is wise public policy. I submit that it is not, and here are four reasons why.Publisher's note: Author is Executive Director of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity; includes CAPC study reference aimed to increase palliative care.

A journalist assisted a woman’s quest for suicide. Did he get too involved?The Washington Post, by Jeremy Barr; 2/3/24The Boston Globe acknowledged that writer Kevin Cullen crossed an ethical line by signing a legal form for Lynda Bluestein. But the woman’s husband is grateful for what he did. Kevin Cullen, a veteran columnist for the Boston Globe, spent months shadowing a terminally ill Connecticut woman as she campaigned for permission to have an assisted suicide and ultimately died that way several weeks ago. ... But Cullen did more than just chronicle [her] journey. He also got involved in her story by signing a legal form attesting that she was sound of mind when she requested to die in Vermont, which granted her the right to do so.

Poynter’s Tom Jones renders a nuanced verdict on Kevin Cullen’s ethical lapseMedia Nation, by Dan Kennedy; 1/31/24Poynter media columnist Tom Jones has weighed in with a lengthy commentary about Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen’s decision to sign a legally required form that a terminally ill woman needed in order to proceed with her physician-assisted suicide — a story that he was reporting on, and that was published by the Globe last Friday.

Docs see smaller checks as Congress weighs options on Medicare cutModern Healthcare, by Michael Mcauliff; 1/30/24If anyone were to ask members of Congress if doctors should be contending with Medicare pay cuts after a pandemic and a period of extraordinary inflation, and amid a chronic physician shortage, nearly all would say no.Subscription required for full access

NJ Governor signs Medicaid palliative care bill into lawC+TAC press release; 1/23/24New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed AB 5225 into law on December 21, 2023, requiring the development of a palliative care services benefit aimed to improve the quality of life for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious illness and their caregivers. 

Guiding Values for Health Policy in Divided TimesJAMA Network, by Sandro Galea, MD, DrPh; 1/25/24What values should guide health policy during divided times?