Health care; decision-making, end of life, penalties.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information about the consequences of misuse or specific measures regarding implicit bias training.

Health Care Decisions at the End of Life

This law allows adults with a terminal illness to request medication to end their life, sets rules for making such requests, and protects those who follow these rules from legal consequences.

What This Bill Does

• Allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request self-administered aid in dying medication.
• Requires the patient's request to be given twice verbally and once in writing, signed by the patient and one witness.
• Gives patients the chance to change their mind about ending their life at any time.
• Makes it illegal (a serious crime) for someone to alter or destroy a patient’s request or try to force them into making such a decision.
• Protects health care providers from legal trouble if they follow this law and allows them to choose not to participate in providing the medication.

Who It Names or Affects

• Adult patients with terminal illnesses
• Health care providers who treat terminally ill patients

Terms To Know

Terminal illness

A disease that cannot be cured and will lead to death.

Self-administered aid in dying medication

Medication given to a patient by themselves, with the purpose of ending their life.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if someone tries to misuse the law.
• It is unclear how this will affect health care providers who refuse to participate in providing aid-in-dying medication.

Official Summary Text

Health care; decision-making; end of life; penalties.
Allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request and an attending health care provider to prescribe self-administered aid in dying medication for the purpose of ending the patient's life. The bill requires that a patient's request for self-administered aid in dying medication to end his life be given orally on two occasions and in writing, signed by the patient and one witness, and that the patient be given an express opportunity to rescind his request at any time. The bill makes it a Class 2 felony (i) to willfully and deliberately alter, forge, conceal, or destroy a patient's request, or rescission of request, for self-administered aid in dying medication to end his life with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death; (ii) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to request self-administered aid in dying medication for the purpose of ending his life or to destroy the patient's rescission of such request with the intent and effect of causing the patient's death; or (iii) to coerce, intimidate, or exert undue influence on a patient to forgo self-administered aid in dying medication for the purpose of ending the patient's life. The bill also grants immunity from civil or criminal liability and professional disciplinary action to any person who complies with the provisions of the bill and allows health care providers to refuse to participate in the provision of self-administered aid in dying medication to a patient for the purpose of ending the patient's life.

Current Bill Text

(SB359)
AMENDMENT(S) PROPOSED BY THE SENATE
EDUCATION AND HEALTH
1. Line 324, introduced, after
patients;
strike
and

EDUCATION AND HEALTH
2. Line 326, introduced, after
section
insert
; and
4. Recommend that attending health care providers who provide medical aid in dying to qualifying patients complete evidence-based implicit bias training to better identify and address unconscious prejudices that may affect patient care and contribute to health disparities