Washington a step closer to improvement of Death with Dignity Act

In the last week of February, the Washington State House of Representatives approved (by a 60-37 vote) HB1141 to increase access to the Death with Dignity Act. 

HB 1141 allows:

• advanced practice registered nurses or physician assistants to act as either the attending or consulting medical provider for individuals who want to access the Death with Dignity Act. A physician would still have to be one of the other two providers in either case. 
• reduces the waiting period from 15 days to 72 hours, and allows the attending and consulting providers to waive the waiting period if the terminally ill individual’s death is imminent. 
• modernizes the rules around how and when individuals can obtain their aid-in-dying prescription from a pharmacy.

The bill’s sponsors are: Rep. Skyler Rude and Rep. Nicole Macri.  

What’s next? 

The bill now moves to the Senate.