Literature Review

[Maryland] Medical aid-in-dying bill short on votes, unlikely to pass Senate committeeMaryland Matters, by Danielle J. Brown; 2/26/24A controversial bill for medical aid-in-dying, which would allow qualifying terminally-ill patients to prompt their own death with the help of a physician, will likely be stalled for a least another year, as some senators “continue to wrestle” with the issue, Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) said Monday night.

House of Delegates considering SB 280, Medical Aid in Dying The Connection to Your Community, by Mercia Hobson; 2/20/24Virginia is a battleground state within itself. State legislators are fiercely divided concerning proposed legislation, SB 280. If passed, it would allow an eligible adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request an attending health care provider to prescribe a fatal dose of a controlled substance to be self-administered for the purpose of ending the patient's life. Senate Bill 280, one of the two Virginia bills concerning Death with Dignity, passed passed the Senate. Its companion, House Bill 858, which was originally "put on hold for the day," failed in committee.

Legislative committees shape the future: Pivotal decisions and societal impactBNN, by Sakchi Khandelwai; 2/16/24Pivotal decisions on medical aid in dying [and] drug consumption sites ... highlight their societal impact. Ongoin reforms empower committees, strengthening the democratic process.

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.

NJ's 'medical aid-in-dying' law upheld by state Supreme Court Public News Service, by Roz Brown; 2/13/24After a five-year court battle, New Jersey's medical aid-in-dying law has been affirmed by the state's Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt to overturn the statute. Signed by the governor in 2019, the law was soon challenged by a physician based on religious, personal and constitutional grounds. It allows mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to get a prescription they can use to end their lives.

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.

Bill that would legalize medically assisted suicide debated at Minnesota CapitolCBS News, by Jonah Kaplan; 1/25/24ST. PAUL, Minn. — A bill that would legalize assisted suicide in Minnesota may have the momentum to pass this upcoming session. The bill was heard and debated on Thursday by the health committee, and it would make the assisted suicide option available only for patients 18 and over who are terminally ill with a prognosis of six months to live or less. The patient must also be mentally fit.

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.

More Quebecers donated organs after MAID but Canada needs standardized data: studyThe Canadian Press, by Camille Bains; 1/29/24Quebec researchers say organ donation appears to be increasing among people who received an assisted death but they're calling for greater collaboration to support those who choose to give, along with respect for their autonomy and dignity.