New article of Health Law Professor Thaddeus Mason Pope

This October an essential read for those involved in MAID is published:

Thaddeus Mason Pope; Medical Aid in Dying: Key Variations Among U.S. State Laws, J. Health and Life Sci. L., Oct. 2020, at 25. (c) American Health Law Association, www.americanhealthlaw.org/. All rights reserved.

ABSTRACT

Medical aid in dying (MAID) is legal in eleven U.S. jurisdictions representing one-fourth of the U.S. population, but despite its legality, MAID is practically available to only a subset of qualified patients in these states. MAID’s eligibility requirements and procedural safeguards may impede a patient’s access. In response, state legislatures have begun to craft more flexible rules as they recalibrate the balance between safety and access. There is already significant variability among U.S. MAID statutes in terms of eligibility requirements, procedural conditions, and other mandates. While the Oregon Death with Dignity Act has served as the template for all subsequent MAID statutes, the states have not copied the Oregon law exactly. Furthermore, this nonconformity grows as states continue to engage in an earnest and profound debate about the practicality of MAID.

Read it here.

The table of contents can be read here.