Washington State May Follow New Mexico with More Accessible Medical Aid in Dying

Last month, the New Mexico legislature enacted the most accessible medical aid in dying (MAID) law in the the United States. Washington State is now poised to follow. 

H,B,. 1141 is heading to the Senate floor after already being passed by the House 60 to 37. The bill would

1. Reduce the waiting period from 15 days to 72 hours

2. Permit APRNs and PAs to write the prescription

3. Permit mental health professionals other than psychiatrists and psychologists to do the third capacity screening

4. Permit the medications to be mailed

While multiple 2021 bills (in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington) are designed to make MAID more accessible, step back and look at these laws in a global context. Even with amendments, all U.S. MAID laws are still more restrictive than any other jurisdiction on Earth.