In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering death with dignity laws. Sometimes called "medical aid in dying," "assisted suicide," or "right to die" initiatives, these laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medication to end their lives peacefully rather than suffering a painful and protracted death.
The catalyst for greater national attention to this issue was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to end her life in 2014. Maynard chose Oregon because California had not yet passed its death with dignity law, and Oregon was one of the few states that allowed terminally ill patients to receive aid in dying.
Spurred by Maynard's decision and the resulting publicity, North Carolina legislators introduced a death with dignity bill for the first time in 2015. That bill and others introduced in 2017, 2019, and 2021 failed to pass. Now in the 2023-2024 legislative session, the General Assembly is considering HB877, another bill related to aid in dying. This legislation would require the North Carolina Institute of Medicine to study the legalization of medical aid in dying in the state.
Citizen groups are continuing to work to legalize aid in dying in North Carolina. If choice at the end of life is important to you, here are some things you can do:
"Death with dignity" and "medical aid in dying" are two of the most commonly accepted phrases describing the process by which a terminally ill person ingests prescribed medication to hasten death. You might also see the phrase "right to die" used in place of either of those terms. However, "right to die" is more accurately used in the context of directing one's own medical care—that is, refusing life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator or feeding tubes when permanently unconscious or close to death. In North Carolina or any other state, you have a right to provide such directions or give any other health care instructions by completing an advance health care directive.
For information about appointing a health care agent and making known your wishes for medical care at the end of life, see the Living Wills & Medical Powers of Attorney section of Nolo.com.
To find out more about the history and current status of death with dignity laws in the United States, visit the website of the Death With Dignity National Center.
Updated March 6, 2024
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