Title: Establishes End of Life Option Act
Title: Establishes End of Life Option Act
Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the use of lethal drugs for terminally ill patients.
Authorizes an individual to request aid in dying by (Sec. 5-6A-02):
Making an initial oral request to the individual’s attending physician;
After making an initial oral request, making a written request to the individual’s attending physician;
Making a second oral request to the individual’s attending physician at least;
15 days after making the initial oral request; or
48 hours after making the written request.
Prohibits any other individual, including an agent under an advance directive, an attorney-in-fact under a durable power of attorney, a guardian, or a conservator, to request aid in dying on behalf of an individual (Sec. 5-6A-02).
Requires at least one of the oral requests to be made while the individual is alone with the attending physician (Sec. 5-6A-02).
Requires that a written request for aid in dying be (Sec. 5-6A-03):
The same form that is in this bill;
Signed and Dated by the individual; and
Witnessed by at least two other individuals who, in the presence of the individual, attest that to their knowledge the individual is of sound mind and acting voluntarily.
Requires the attending physician, when presented with an individual’s written request, to determine whether the individual (Sec. 5-6A-04):
Is a qualified individual;
Has made an informed decision; and
Has voluntarily requested aid in dying.
Requires, for the purposes of determining that an individual is a qualified individual, an attending physician is to accept as proof of the individual’s residency in the State (S-6A-04):
Possession of a valid Maryland driver’s license or identification card issued by the motor vehicle administration;
Registration to vote in the State;
Evidence of owning or leasing property in the State;
A copy of a maryland resident tax return for the most recent tax year; or
Based on the individual’s treatment history and medical records, the attending physician’s personal knowledge of the individual’s residency in the State.
Requires the attending physician or the consulting physician to refer to the individual to a licensed mental health professional for a mental health professional assessment, if it is in the medial opinion of the attending physician or the consulting physician that an individual may be suffering from a condition that is causing impaired judgement (Sec. 5-6A-06).
Defines “aid in dying” as the medical practice of a physician prescribing medication to a qualified individual that the qualified individual may self-administer to bring about the qualified individual’s death (Sec. 5-6A-01).
Defines “capacity to make medical decisions” as the ability of an individual to (Sec. 5-6A-01):
Understand the nature and consequences of a healthcare decision;
Understand the significant benefits, risks, and alternatives of a healthcare decision; and
Make and communicate an informed decision to healthcare providers, including communication through another individual familiar with the individual’s manner of communicating, if the other individual is available.
Title: Establishes End of Life Option Act