Each year, 44,000 Minnesotans die. Nearly one-fourth die from cancer. Many of these patients want to control the timing and manner of their death. Today, terminally ill patients have several “exit options” in Minnesota. But they generally do not have access to medical aid in dying (MAID). This may be changing.
Across the country, access to MAID has been in a rapid state of flux. Ten years ago, MAID was available in only two U.S. jurisdictions. Today, it is available in ten. This presentation reviews the history, status, and prevalence of MAID in the United States. It also summarizes ten new points of ethical debate over whether traditional eligibility requirements and safeguards are too permissive or too restrictive.
Speaker(s)
Thaddeus Pope, JD, PhD, Director, Health Law Institute, Mitchell - Hamline School of Law; Affiliate Faculty Member, Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota. Learn more about Professor Pope here.