MSN, RN
I recently caught up with a fellow nursing staff member from my ER days. During our conversation, we discussed our kids, grandkids, and where we are working presently. She started to tell me about her father and the illnesses that have plagued him of late. She brought up hospice, which I was familiar with as my mother needed hospice toward the end of her 17-month battle with lung cancer. She explained that her father elected to do the MAiD program, which stood for Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) initiative, a program that I had never heard of.
The National Library of Medicine defines Medical Aid in Dying as “a practice in which a physician provides a competent adult with a terminal illness with a prescription for a lethal dose of a drug at the request of the patient, which the patient intends to use to end his or her life.”
Some people look at this as suicide, but MAiD allows the terminally ill a death with dignity. It is not about life or death, but the time and manner of death chosen by the terminally ill patient.
Nine states, including New Jersey, allow this practice: Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington D.C., California, Montana, Hawaii, and Maine. It’s forbidden in New York and Pennsylvania.
Compassionate Endings NJ is the only medical practice specifically devoted to medical aid in dying in New Jersey, where The New Jersey End of Life Options Act was passed on Aug. 1, 2019.
The following requirements must be met for a physician to move forward with a MAiD request:
We are all aware of what constitutes a terminal diagnosis/prognosis. These would include metastatic cancer, any neuromuscular disease such as Parkinson’s or ALS. Advanced heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease would also be included. Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are considered terminal illnesses, but do not meet the criteria for MAiD. A family member cannot intervene and get the prescription for the patient.
Insurance does not typically cover MAiD or the medications, and it’s considered illegal to consume this medication in a state where MAiD is not legalized. Anyone attending the death could be subject to prosecution for assisting.
The type of medication used for MAiD is determined by the physician, but, according to Dying with Dignity Canada, Midazolam (a sedative), Propofol, (puts the patient into a deep coma), and Rocuronium (paralyzes the muscles) are administered.
Nearly 80% of U.S. residents who “self-identify as having a disability” believe MAiD should be legal, according to a February 2023 poll from Susquehanna Polling & Research.
When it comes to nurses, a separate study found that 86% of practitioners reported they would care for a patient who is considering MAiD.
“Nurses who identified as Christian were less likely to support medical aid in dying,” the study authors stated. “Only 38% of Christian nurses felt that patients should be required to self-administer medications; 49% felt medical aid in dying should be allowed by advance directive.”
I recently did some investigating into the pros and cons of the MAiD program. Many lay people look at the MAiD program as assisted suicide, which appears to be a taboo subject.
David Leven, executive director emeritus and senior consultant to End of Life Choices New York, refuted that view on “The Good Death Society Blog: A Project of Final Exit Network.”
He believes that it allows the terminally ill patient empowerment over their illness. The term assisted suicide has been rejected by many organizations, such as the American Psychological Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American Association of Family Physicians.
The American Association of Suicidology stated in 2017 that suicide is not the same as physician aid in dying.
So, what is your belief and attitude towards the MAiD program? Is it assisted suicide or the ability for a terminally ill person to make his or her own decision to pass peacefully with dignity? If this was you, would you choose this for yourself? Interesting question.
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