Medical Aid in Dying

Apr 28

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Words matter

By David Leven | Death With Dignity Act, Medical Aid in Dying, PAD, Suicide | One Comment

Words matter. Medical aid in dying (MAID or MAiD) is the term now widely accepted in law and medicine to describe the practice of a physician prescribing medication to a terminally ill, mentally competent, adult patient who may choose to ingest it to end suffering they find unbearable, and achieve a peaceful death. It is accurate language which should be used. Other terminology such as physician aid in dying may also be used, but increasingly there is a preference for the term medical aid in dying.

Jan 06

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Disability and the right to live and die on our own terms

By Lamar Hankins | Choice, Medical Aid in Dying | 9 Comments

Lamar Hankins discusses how the disabled are devalued and prevented from having the same rights non-disabled people have. What a person considers a fulfilling life should be decided by each person, not by the opinion of any other person, including by someone who is disabled.

Sep 16

1

One man’s experience using Washington’s PAD law

By Lamar Hankins | ALS, End-of-life care, Medical Aid in Dying, PAD, Suffering and Death | 2 Comments

A Washington state man, Aaron McQ, described his illness (a rare form of ALS) as “terrifying . . . like waking up every morning in quicksand.” He agreed to discuss his experience with Kaiser News to help provide more understanding about how users feel after qualifying for PAD. Over 3,000 terminally ill residents in the US have used PAD laws since Oregon’s first took effect twenty years ago. This is one man’s experience.

Aug 26

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Lessons about PAD from disability rights advocates

By Lamar Hankins | Disability, Disability Rights, Medical Aid in Dying, Not Dead Yet, PAD | 6 Comments

Disability rights groups that oppose self-determination for people who seek physician-assisted dying (PAD ) argue that such people should not have the right to decide for themselves when their lives are no longer tenable. Nevertheless, the disability rights groups do make points related to PAD that are worth considering; for one, they have helped me realize that over the last ten years I have become disabled.

May 06

4

STATEMENT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SUICIDOLOGY: “SUICIDE” IS NOT THE SAME AS “PHYSICIAN AID IN DYING”

By American Association of Suicidology | Death With Dignity Act, Medical Aid in Dying | 3 Comments

The American Association of Suicidology recognizes that the practice of physician aid in dying, also called physician assisted suicide, Death with Dignity, and medical aid in dying, is distinct from the behavior that has been traditionally and ordinarily described as “suicide,” the tragic event our organization works so hard to prevent. Although there may be overlap between the two categories, legal physician assisted deaths should not be considered to be cases of suicide and are therefore a matter outside the central focus of the AAS.

Apr 08

2

Dying together

By Lamar Hankins | Medical Aid in Dying | No Comments

It is not unusual for married couples to die within a few days, weeks, or months of one another. It has become more common in recent years for couples, especially those who have been together for many years and are in poor health, to plan their deaths together by taking barbiturates or some other drug that is deadly when taken in sufficient quantity. Recently, through Canada’s assisted-dying law, a Canadian couple, married for almost 73 years, arranged their joint deaths in the same bed, while holding hands.

Mar 11

1

American Academy of Neurology Drops Opposition to Medical Aid in Dying

By Thaddeus M. Pope, JD, PhD | Medical Aid in Dying | No Comments

Thaddeus Pope writes about the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) dropping its longtime opposition to legislation giving terminally ill patients the option of medical aid in dying (MAID). In addition, he identifies numerous local, state, regional, and national medical-related groups that have now taken a neutral position on MAID or endorsed its use.

Feb 11

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Medical Aid in Dying: When Legal Safeguards Become Burdensome Obstacles

By Thaddeus M. Pope, JD, PhD | Death With Dignity Act, Medical Aid in Dying | No Comments

In 2017, the District of Columbia (DC) became the seventh jurisdiction in the United States to legalize medical aid in dying, which gives terminally ill patients the option of how and when they die. The new DC statute is nearly identical to earlier enacted medical aid in dying statutes in California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington State. Only Montana legalized medical aid in dying through a court decision, but subsequently, proponents of the act have failed in every attempt to legalize medical aid in dying through constitutional or statutory litigation.