How Much Regulation Does This Have?

A small dive into what categories one must fit into when applying to end their life.

There are of course a set of rules regarding eligibility in this practice. All things considered, it's actually a pretty quick process.

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Because this is a state-deciding practice, the first statute requirement is to be a resident, age 18 or older, in whatever state has legalized physician-assisted death. Yeah, a complete resident. Simply traveling would do no good, so depending on wherever a person is located, moving preparations may be in order.

Is this a bit too strict, or just strict enough? It would definitely make me question my decision and my commitment to that decision if I were outside of a legal area, which maybe isn't a bad thing in regards to ending life. Perhaps a negative aspect to this residential rule comes with the next statute requirement:

A patient must be terminally ill, and that illness, based on doctoral judgment, must lead to death within six months. The ability for these people to pack up and move in little time may not be so simple; it seems the only solution is to have more legalized states.

Along with checking those first two steps, one must be mentally competent in communicating the big decision, and must be able to administer and ingest the prescribed drug. Two physicians must see to it that these standards are met.

This seems very reasonable; loved ones and whomever else will be there in the last moments, but this action is solely up to one person.

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The first step is communicating to a physician about the desire for the prescription, which they must record into a medical record. This is the first oral request, and if approved after meeting the previously mentioned requirements, a patient finds themselves in the first waiting period: this is a minimum of 15 days (20 in Hawaii) they must wait before going through with further steps. Then comes the second oral request and the written request. Lots of requests, but again, this is life we're talking about. Considering the patient can back out anytime, I think the waiting periods are also good for really deciding if this is 100% what someone is interested in.

Following the written request, most states hold that the physician must wait a mandatory 48 hours before writing the prescription, however in California and Colorado there is no such waiting period.

And then, it's up to the patient if filling the prescription is something they want to do. The drug will put the patient to sleep, and then they will drift off peacefully in around 1-3 hours, or in 5% of cases, 6+ hours with the patient still sleeping. Apparently, many people qualify for the drug, but a good amount either never fill the prescription or ingest it. It's there as a "just in case."

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Since this is a drug a person can take in homely environment, I really believe this offers peace of mind. In the event symptom progression leads to more suffering, having this drug as an option for later down the road can be a comfort to people.

I believe there is a hospice-like stigma attached to physician-assisted death, but if more people were aware that the regulations are pretty tight, and the person taking the drug does not have to be in a hospital setting, maybe they'd consider it in the future as their comforting "just in case."