Literature Review

Ethical implementation of organ donation following medical assistance in dying: Recommendations of the ethics committee of the Transplantation SocietyTransplantation; by Kristof Van Assche, Johannes Mulder, Curie Ahn, Richard D M Allen, Jan Bollen, Katrina A Bramstedt, Patrizia Burra, Patrick Cras, Kumud Dhital, Ian Dittmer, Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, James Downar, Riadh A S Fadhil, Patrick Ferdinande, John L R Forsythe, Marie-Chantal Fortin, Michael A Freeman, Rik T Gerritsen, Kim E Grayson, Andrew Healey, Alex Kazemi, Vivek B Kute, Dominique E Martin, Diethard Monbaliu, Elmi Muller, Alejandro Nino-Murcia, Gert Olthuis, Helen I Opdam, Brendan Parent, Alicia Pérez Blanco, Sam D Shemie, Marion Siebelink, Amina Silva, Vanessa Silva E Silva, Hans P Sonneveld, Peter G Stock, Rankie Ten Hoopen, Carrie Thiessen, Walther van Mook, Dirk Van Raemdonck, Anji E Wall, Matthew J Weiss, Larna Woodyatt, Dirk Ysebaert, David Thomson; 7/26Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is legally permitted in a growing number of jurisdictions ... Organ donation following MAiD offers patients an opportunity to address transplant needs as a final act of altruism, but it also raises complex ethical questions that require strong safeguards to protect patients, professionals, and public trust.We identified key ethical issues and safeguards by analyzing guidelines and protocols from the 6 countries where organ donation following MAiD is performed: Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain. Three domains of ethical concern emerged: (1) safeguarding the integrity of patients' decision-making (voluntariness, informed consent, and how and when information is presented); (2) ethical governance of donation following MAiD (adherence to the Dead Donor Rule, death determination, and consent for premortem interventions); and (3) implications for care relationships and professional practice (end-of-life impacts, recipient information and donor anonymity, and professional support, including conscientious objection). Key recommendations include clear and consistent policies; a patient-centered, nondirective approach; rigorous eligibility and voluntariness assessments; and strict separation between MAiD and donation/transplantation teams.

In New York, who will get to take advantage of medical aid in dyingPrism; by Ben Rappaport; 7/30/26For terminally ill patients, the new law [going into effect in New York on Aug. 5] offers the choice to end suffering. But cost, provider shortages, and medical distrust among communities of color could make the option less accessible. When Kiki Jackson first heard the phrase “medical aid in dying,” she scrunched her face in suspicion. Jackson, a 74-year-old lifelong resident of Harlem, was listening to a group discussion at a local senior center about New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act. For her and about a dozen other Black community members in attendance, the idea of terminally ill adults having the right to end their lives evoked troubling experiences with the medical system. ... Research aggregating over 20 years of data from 13 states and Washington, D.C., where similar laws are on the books, reveals that the people who’ve utilized medical aid in dying are overwhelmingly white, college-educated, and able to pay out of pocket.

Medical Aid in Dying Act faces 2 lawsuits ahead of Aug. 5 effective date Spectrum News 1, Buffalo, NY; by Jack Arpey; 7/27/28New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act faces two lawsuits just over a week out from its Aug. 5 effective date, though there are currently no injunctions stopping it from going into effect.An initial lawsuit brought by disability rights groups ... claims that people with life-threatening disabilities belong to a protected class under the Americans with Disabilities Act and are at risk of harm if the law goes into effect. ... In a second lawsuit filed earlier this month, four orders of Catholic nuns and several Catholic healthcare ministries argue that the law infringes on their religious freedoms by forcing them to participate in care that goes against their religious beliefs.

"Reconciling"- conceptualising the grieving process of family members involved in assisted dying: A grounded formal theoryBMC Palliative Care; by Jonathan Bayuo, Prince Kyei Baffour, Elisha Baafi Oduro, Deborah Adedibu; 6/26While theoretical frameworks for understanding the grieving process are well-established, the advent of assisted dying presents a novel and under-examined context for grief and bereavement. Thus, this study sought to generate a theory explaining the grieving process of family members involved in assisted dying. Reconciling, as a mid-range theory, extends existing grief models by demonstrating that bereavement in assisted dying involves a proactive, ethically charged negotiation of autonomy, suffering, and relational responsibility; dimensions not accounted for in stage-based or oscillation models. The grieving process in assisted dying is best understood as Reconciling, a dynamic, iterative negotiation of autonomy, suffering, love, and loss. Families move through ambivalence, anticipation, transition, and aftermath in ways that blend emotional complexity with profound meaning-making.

French MPs approve assisted dying law with strict rules after years of argument BBC; by Paul Kirby; 7/15/26 France's National Assembly has voted to create a right to assisted dying under strict conditions, after years of debate and changes to the proposals. MPs voted by 291 to 241 to back the bill, which had been rejected three times by the upper house of parliament, the Senate. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to refer parts of the bill to France's Constitutional Council for examination before it can become law. It would allow assisted dying for French adults with a "serious and incurable" life-threatening illness "in an advanced or terminal stage". The illness would need to leave them in constant physical or psychological suffering that is unbearable or resistant to treatment. [Read more terms] ... Wednesday's vote means France could join several other European countries that have decriminalised assisted dying in some form. A similarly lengthy debate has been taking place in the UK. A bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales stalled earlier this year and is set to return to Parliament in September.

Disability advocates challenge Illinois ‘aid-in-dying’ law llinois Public Media | NPR | PBS; by Brian Mackey; 6/23/26 Illinois aid-in-dying law is set to take effect in September. It’s meant to give terminally ill patients a medical way to end their lives. But opponents call it “assisted suicide,” and they’ve joined with disability advocates trying to block the law in court. We’ll hear from people on both sides of that debate. [This article provides links to multiple sources, addressing "both sides of that debate."]

 The impact of assisted dying legislation on nursing practice in palliative care: a scoping review Journal of Advanced Nursing; by Marlene Werner, Christiane Kreyer, Sabine Pleschberger; 6/5/26 Aim: To review the literature on the state of research on the impacts of assisted dying on nursing practice within specialised palliative care. Results: Fifteen studies published between 2019 and 2024, all from Canada or the United States, met the inclusion criteria. Three themes were identified: (1) positioning and meaning, describing how nurses are required to position themselves and to renegotiate their values; (2) impact on core competencies, capturing changes in key nursing responsibilities; and (3) challenges in interpersonal relationships, referring to increased team conflicts and shifts in relationships with patients and their families. 

French Senate rejects assisted suicide bill again Crux; by Fionn Shiner; 5/14/26 On Tuesday [May 12th], the French Senate rejected for the second time the assisted suicide bill under debate, with the leader of the conservative party calling for a referendum on the issue to avoid it being approved without the Senate’s approval. The National Assembly – France’s lower house – had already approved the bill twice, but the Senate, made up of more conservative and centrist politicians, rejected a key provision of the bill which sought to establish a right to assisted suicide. 

Communication processes and priorities in Medical Aid in Dying conversations: A cross-sectional qualitative study of multidisciplinary cancer cliniciansCancer Medicine; by Meghan McDarby, Alix Youngblood, Megan Miller, William E Rosa, Haley Buller, Betty R Ferrell; 4/26Medical aid in dying (MAiD) is a practice that enables eligible individuals with a terminal, life-limiting illness to end their lives in a self-directed way. Multidisciplinary care teams play a vital role in facilitating discussions and patient decision making about MAiD in cancer care settings. Four themes were identified as communication priorities and processes critical for multidisciplinary teams when discussing MAiD with cancer patients: (1) addressing complexity of MAiD ... ; (2) thorough palliative care assessment; (3) strategies for clinicians and healthcare systems to optimize MAiD discussions; and (4) person-centered care that de-stigmatizes MAiD. Findings underscore the distinct complexity of MAiD discussions in oncology and highlight the need for tailored, person-centered approaches that go beyond standard end-of-life communication.

Arizona lawmakers reject bill to legalize assisted suicide Live Action; by Angeline Tan; 4/13/26 Arizona lawmakers have dismissed a rejuvenated attempt to legalize assisted suicide, dealing a setback to its proponents in the state. House Bill 2569 — also referred to as the Thomas M. Dow Act — did not move forward in the Arizona Legislature this session, and it was not scheduled for a hearing in a House committee. ... In Arizona, concerns about coercion and inadequate oversight contributed to the bill’s defeat. Lawmakers raised questions about how eligibility criteria would be enforced and whether vulnerable individuals could be influenced by family members, financial considerations, or systemic health care inequalities. For over 20 years, Arizona legislators have considered similar measures. 

More people are choosing the option to die under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act The Oregonian/OregonLive; by Kristine de Leon; 4/3/26 More people are turning to Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act – and more than ever are getting prescriptions for life-ending drugs, according to a new state data released Thursday [4/2]. For nearly three decades, the law has allowed Oregonians who meet certain conditions to receive prescription medications to help them end their lives, rather than waiting for a disease to run its course. ... An annual report compiled by the Oregon Health Authority shows more patients are seeking the option. Last year, doctors wrote 637 prescriptions under the Death with Dignity Act -- the highest number on record, according to state data. That’s a modest 5% increase from 2024, but part of a longer trend that has pushed participation steadily upward.