Relates to the medical aid in dying act

• Democratic85

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why the sponsor says this is needed

The highly publicized, planned death of Brittany Maynard has highlighted the need for terminally ill patients to be able to access aid in dying. Ms. Maynard, who was a native of California, was forced to move to Oregon to gain control of her dying process. Her death, and the accompa- nying press attention, led the California legislature to pass, and Governor Jerry Brown to sign, an aid in dying law on October 5, 2015. The national debate that accompanied Ms. Maynard's plight focused the nation on the desire of patients with a terminal illness to determine for themselves - how and when they die. These patients, when mentally competent, should be afforded this right. Patients should not be forced to relocate to another state or to leave the country to control how their lives end. Patients seek to die with dignity, on their own terms, typically in their own homes, surrounded by their family and other loved ones. New Yorkers strongly support empowering terminally-ill, mentally compe- tent patients to control their own death. A 2015 poll found that 77% of all New Yorkers support aid in dying, including 75% of Catholics, 72% of Republicans, 67% of self-identified Conservatives, and 78% of New York- ers upstate. Nationally, according to HealthDay/Harris poll findings released in December 2014, 74% of American adults believe that terminally ill patients in great. pain should have the right to end their lives (14% were opposed). Gallup, which has been polling this issue since 1947, has found that a majority of Americans have supported aid in dying since 1973. Their most recent poll found 68% of Americans support aid in dying. Similar results were found in a recent survey of Americans by LifeWay Research (69% of those polled agree that physicians should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in ending their life and 67% agree that it is morally acceptable for a person to ask for a physi- cian's aid in taking his or her own life.) Physicians also support aid in dying. In a recent survey conducted by Medscape, 54% of physicians in the U.S. believe that aid in dying should be permitted, while only 31% opposed it. The Medical Aid in Dying Act will enable mentally competent, terminally ill patients to choose to self-administer medication to bring about a peaceful death. It also provides their physician, when acting in good faith in accordance with the provisions of the Act, protections from civil and criminal liability and professional disciplinary action. At least seven states - Oregon, Vermont, Washington, California, Monta- na, New Jersey and Colorado - allow physician assisted aid in dying. More than 65% of Colorado voters approved the ballot initiative to provide for aid in dying. Not only did the mayor of the District of Columbia signed a medical aid in dying act, but legislators in multiple states throughout the nation have aid in dying bills pending. Aid in dying legislation is supported by the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Women's Association, the American Medical Student Association, the American College of Legal Medicine, and Lamda Legal.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.