New Jersey State Assembly passed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act with a 41-33 vote, followed by approval in the Senate with a 21-16 vote. Governor Phil Murphy has stated he will sign the bill, making New Jersey the eighth state...
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New Jersey State Assembly passed the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act with a 41-33 vote, followed by approval in the Senate with a 21-16 vote.

Governor Phil Murphy has stated he will sign the bill, making New Jersey the eighth state with legal physician-assisted suicide(PAS). Governor Murphy stated, “Allowing terminally ill and dying residents the dignity to make end-of-life decisions according to their own consciences is the right thing to do. I look forward to signing this legislation into law.”

The bill, sponsored by 17 Democratic Assembly members and Senators, passed mostly along party lines with four Republican Senators and no Republican Assembly members voting for passage.

The bill states that it “permits qualified terminally ill patient to self-administer medication to end life in humane and dignified manner.” The structure of the physician-assisted suicide will work similarly to the six other states and DC with legal PAS via legislation (Montana has legal PAS via court ruling and thus no PAS program). Patients are required to be 18 years old or older, have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, and be capable of making medical decisions.

Matt Valliere, Executive Director of Patients Rights Action Fund, opposed the measure and stated, “New Jersey ought to be investing in better care and support at the end of life, not enshrining this dangerous public policy into law.”

The law is supposed to go into effect within four months after the Governor signs the bill.

(via Physician-Assisted Suicide to Be Legal in New Jersey - ProCon.org)

Source: procon.org

Prisoner Granted Euthanasia Request by Belgian Court

imageBelgian courts recently granted an inmate serving a life sentence the right to receive euthanasia rather than serving the remainder of his life sentence.

The inmate, Frank Van Den Bleeken, has been in prison nearly 30 years for rape and murder. The 50-year-old man argued in court that there is a lack of available therapy for his mental condition, and rather than suffer years of mental anguish, he should have physician assisted suicide made available to him. A panel of medical experts concluded that his psychological condition was incurable. Mr. Van Den Bleeken’s lawyer stated, “he has been seen by several doctors and their conclusion is that he is suffering, and suffering unbearably." 

The decision comes after three years of legal proceedings. The Belgium Federal Euthanasia Commission "wanted to consider every possible treatment option before consenting to such a measure,” according to the BBC. Van Den Bleeken first requested a transfer to the Netherlands for specialized treatment. When that request was denied he asked for a “mercy killing,” which became an official euthanasia petition granted by a Brussels appeals court. The procedure will take place at a hospital, but Van Den Bleeken’s representatives could not confirm when or where.

Belgium, like all of the countries in the European Union, does not have the death penalty. It has had legal euthanasia for twelve years and is one of the only countries to expand these laws beyond the terminally ill, recently increasing availability to children at any age (though application to minors is limited to those about to die). Frank Van Den Bleeken’s case is the first ruling involving a prisoner, which required the consent of the Belgian Justice Ministry.

Physician-Assisted Suicide Ruled Legal by New Mexico Judge

imageA Jan. 13, 2014 ruling by Second Judicial Judge Nan G. Nash may make New Mexico the fifth US state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The decision prohibits the prosecution of physicians who help competent terminally ill patients end their lives.

The ruling issued from the Bernalillo County Courthouse stated, “This court cannot envision a right more fundamental, more private or more integral to the liberty, safety and happiness of a New Mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying.” The decision further stated “NMSA 1978 § 30-2-4 [“Assisted Suicide Statute”] therefore violates our State constitution when applied to aid in dying.”

The ACLU and Compassion and Choices filed the lawsuit against New Mexico in Mar. 2012 on behalf of Sante Fe oncologists Katherine Morris, MD, and Aroop Mangalik, MD, and Aja Riggs, a Santa Fe resident in remission from advanced uterine cancer.

Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?

Should Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide Be Legal?Proponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death. They argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee such rights as marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment.

Opponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide contend that doctors have a moral responsibility to keep their patients alive as reflected by the Hippocratic Oath. They argue there may be a “slippery slope” from euthanasia to murder, and that legalizing euthanasia will unfairly target the poor and disabled and create incentives for insurance companies to terminate lives in order to save money.