Medical Aid in Dying: New Legal, Ethical, and Advocacy Perspectives

These laws started in Oregon but, over the last few years, 8 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Whether or not Illinois legalizes physician-aided dying, many of our clients are getting much more vocal about what kind of care they want (or don’t want) near the end of their lives. There are now end of life decisions previously never contemplated or included in POA documents, such as voluntarily stopping of eating and drinking and withholding food and fluids from people with advanced dementia. Cases have been litigated wherein patients or POA agents request these types of measures and facilities refuse participation, even to the extent of evicting residents. Although many individual doctors are also reassessing end of life care, nursing homes and hospitals are often not comfortable stopping treatment. Learn where the states and the involved professionals stand on these matters, and what types of legal and ethical concerns continue to develop.