Aid In Dying Legislation

The New York Times ran an editorial on March 14, 2015 regarding efforts in states to pass aid in dying legislation.  Offering a Choice to the Terminally Ill reports that DC & 15 states are considering such legislation. The editorial describes two recent cases, reviews the opposition, and considers the safeguards provided in the Oregon statute as an example. It also describes situations where doctors provide patients with lethal dosages of medications despite laws to the contrary, noting that “these unregulated practices put patients and doctors on dangerous terrain.” Referencing the case of radio host watching her husband who had stopped eating over a period of days, the editorial board says about that case “[h]er inability to help him die humanely is a situation no spouse should have to face.”