Vermont is poised to become the first state to permit physician-assisted suicide through legislative action.
The Legislature passed S.77, the Patient Choice and Control at End of Life, and Gov. Peter Shumlin is scheduled to sign the bill Monday at 2 p.m. at the Statehouse. Three other states have approved similar measures through referendums or court orders.
The law will allow people who have a life expectancy of less than six months to obtain a lethal dose of medication from a doctor. Patient must be able to self-administer the prescription and they cannot have “impaired judgment.”
Doctors are given immunity from civil or criminal liability for writing the prescription as long as they meet a number of requirements laid out in S.77. Patients have to make three requests — two oral ones spaced 15 days apart and one written request — and they can receive the prescription 48 hours after their final request.
On July 1, 2016, the stipulations are no longer required, and doctors can qualify for immunity as long as they inform the patient of all end-of-life options and confirm that the patient is capable of making the decision and can take the prescription on his or her own.
Health care facilities can prohibit doctors from writing the prescription for patients who are their residents.
