01
What is Medical Aid-In-Dying?
A legal prescription for life-ending medications is only available in states with Death with Dignity laws.
​
Medical Aid in Dying is also referred to as death with dignity and physician-assisted death.
​
To qualify -
-
You must be an adult resident of a state where such a law is in effect,
-
Mentally competent
-
Diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months, as confirmed by two physicians.
​
The process entails two oral requests, one written request, waiting periods, and various other requests.
​
You can take, meaning self-administer and ingest, the medications at a place of your choosing. 95% of people according to Death with Dignity choose to take the medications at home or in an assisted-living or nursing home facility.
It is up to the physician on what to determine as the medication. Most patients receive a prescription for an oral dosage of a barbiturate (pentobarbital or secobarbital). Another mix that is beginning to be used is phenobarbital/chloral hydrate/morphine sulfate/ethanol mix has also been used.
​
Pentobarbital in liquid form cost about $500 until about 2012. From then on the price rose to $15,000 and $25,000. However, the actual prescription depends on availability as well as physician assessment.
​
The price increase was due to an EU ban on exports to the US where the drug was used in capital punishment. Users then switched to the powdered, prices varied from $400 and $500.
​
The legal dose of secobarbital (Seconal) is $3,000 to $5,000.
​
Alternate mixtures of medication are still being developed, especially by physicians in Washington state.