Literature Review

PERSPECTIVE: Nurses, too, must do no harmColorado Springs Gazette, by Kathryn Palermo; 2/25/24Two decades ago, our family faced an experience that would forever shape my perspective on life, choices, and the importance of time in making profound decisions. ... Reflecting on this experience, I cannot help but draw parallels to the potential consequences of the changes proposed by the Legislature to expand physician-assisted death. In our case, time was a crucial factor in making informed decisions that preserved life and allowed for unexpected recovery. As a nursing professional and a family member who experienced a life-altering event, I am opposed to the newly introduced “Medical Aid-in-Dying” bill in the Colorado Senate, SB24-0068, expanding physician-assisted suicide.Editor's Note: The views expressed are those of the author. Hospice & Palliative Care Today seeks to present articles of highest integrity and quality information, especially when reporting on controversial issues. This author presents these expertly from her perspective. While this author defines "the" Christian perspective, this editor supports that hospice and palliative care leaders and patients/families embrace a broader scope of religious beliefs, both within Christianity and inclusive of non-Christian faith systems. Whatever the reader's perspective, this editor invites you to read this insightful article with an open mind of respect, learning, and ethical dialogue.Publisher's note: On 1/31/24, Hospice & Palliative Care Today ran a Denver Post article announcing and supporting SB24-0068. Today's article from the Colorado Springs Gazette opposes this bill.

House of Delegates considering SB 280, Medical Aid in Dying The Connection to Your Community, by Mercia Hobson; 2/20/24Virginia is a battleground state within itself. State legislators are fiercely divided concerning proposed legislation, SB 280. If passed, it would allow an eligible adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request an attending health care provider to prescribe a fatal dose of a controlled substance to be self-administered for the purpose of ending the patient's life. Senate Bill 280, one of the two Virginia bills concerning Death with Dignity, passed passed the Senate. Its companion, House Bill 858, which was originally "put on hold for the day," failed in committee.

[Nebraska] New polling finds 70% support for legalizing medical cannabisNebraska Examiner, by Paul Hammel; 2/19/24New polling found that 70% of respondents are ready to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and that a majority of those responding want to approve a novel alternative to property, sales and income taxes.

Most Pa. workers can’t take paid leave to care for sick loved ones. State law could change thatWESA Pittsburgh's NPR News Station, by Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza; 2/18/24About 66% of workers statewide don’t have paid family and medical leave benefits, according to a U.S. Census compensation survey from March 2022. And the brunt of that unpaid work often falls on any women in the household, said Meghan Pierce, CEO of the Executive Forum of Women in Philadelphia. ... The Executive Forum of Women, created in the late 1970s, is one organization in the coalition of nonprofits and businesses pushing to get paid family medical leave as a state law in Pennsylvania. 

OBI says proposed bill would improve quality of life for at-home hospice patientsNews on 6; 2/16/24Our Blood Institute is bringing awareness to an Oklahoma Senate Bill it says would improve the quality of life for at-home hospice patients. The OBI said Senate Bill 2186 would make access to blood transfusions easier for end-of-life patients who receive care at home. 

Could Illinois become a ‘right to die' state? The latest on a newly proposed billNBC 5 Chicago; 2/13/24A newly introduced bill in Illinois could make the state the latest so-called "right to die" state in the U.S., if it is passed. The proposed legislation, SB3499, would create end-of-life options for the Terminally Ill Patients Act in Illinois.

US CDC plans to drop five-day COVID isolation guidelinesReuters; 2/13/24The U.S. CDC plans to drop its five-day COVID-19 isolation recommendations under new guidance planned by the agency, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

5 recent MAID articles

Over 70% of New Yorkers favor Medical Aid in Dying bill, new poll finds City & State New York, by Rebecca C. Lewis; 2/8/24 A new poll commissioned by the groups Death With Dignity and the Completed Life Initiative found that a majority of New Yorkers – over 70% – favor legislation that would permit doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients medication to end their own lives. Patient protections are major concern at emotional hearing on medical aid-in-dying bill Maryland Matters, by Danielle J. Brown; 2/9/24 There have been prior attempts to pass aid-in-dying bills in Maryland, while 10 other states and Washington, D.C. have passed similar legislation. Publisher's note: Discussion of Maryland's SB 443 and HB 403. Both bills are titled the “End-of-Life Option Act (The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings and the Honorable Shane E. Pendergrass Act).” End of Life Act again proposed in Maryland, lawmakers believe it could pass this year WBALTV-11, by David Collins; 2/8/24 More than 100 people signed up Thursday to testify for and against Maryland's End of Life Option Act, which would legalize medical aid in dying. Lawmakers have tried for years to pass the legislation, but supporters believe the political climate has changed and this is the year it will pass. Should Illinois become 11th state to adopt 'right to die' legislation? Chicago Sun-Times, by Tina Sfondeles; 2/9/24 Illinois Senate Democrats are moving forward on legislation that would give mentally capable patients who are terminally ill an option of ending their own lives. Should treatment for severe mental illness include medical assistance in dying? The Hill, by Anand Kumar, Sally Weinstein; 2/9/24 Canada is on the threshold of enacting a law that would make medical assistance in dying (MAiD) accessible to people whose only medical condition is mental illness. If this were to pass, Canada would be one of only a handful of countries to extend that process for patients with serious mental illness.

New paths could allow medical aid in dying for people with dementia McKnight's Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 2/7/24A lot of people who have dementia want to use medical aid in dying (MAID) to end their lives before they lose their decision-making capacity and other abilities. This hasn’t been allowed up until now but that could soon change, which could have implications for physicians, according to a new report. 

Las Vegas conference examines the impact of 'right to die' lawsMountain West News Bureau, by Yvette Fernandez; 2/5/24A University of Nevada Las Vegas conference [discussed] "lessons learned" from U.S. states and other countries that allow medical aid in dying. Dr. David Orentlicher is head of the UNLV Health Law Program, which held the conference on Feb. 1 and 2. He said so-called "right to die" laws in the United States have very strict requirements. ... Only 10 states and the District of Columbia allow for medical aid in dying. ... As a Nevada legislator, Orentlicher was one of the co-sponsors of the “Death with Dignity” bill, SB 239, ... said the option of having a physician present could improve state laws.

Real aid in dying means caring for the dying, not helping them to die - OpinionNewsweek, by F. Matthew Eppinette; 1/31/24... [Medical aide in dying is legal] in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As state legislatures convene for 2024, 18 states have had assisted-suicide-enabling legislation introduced, or have it pending from last year, when such legislation was introduced in 15 states. Arguments will be made that the prospect of pain at the end of life means assisted suicide should be legal. It is worth asking, however, whether legalizing assisted suicide is wise public policy. I submit that it is not, and here are four reasons why.Publisher's note: Author is Executive Director of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity; includes CAPC study reference aimed to increase palliative care.

Canada again delays assisted dying for the mentally illBBC, by Chloe Kim, Nadine Yousif; 2/1/24Canada has announced plans to again delay an expansion to its medical assistance in dying (maid) programme for people who have a mental illness.