Rethinking Medical Aid in Dying: What Does It Mean to ‘Do No Harm?’

Medical aid in dying is the act of prescribing lethal medications to a consenting patient who can self-ingest them with the intent of hastening their death. A majority of patients who utilize medical aid in dying are patients with terminal cancer. As oncology patients continue to choose deaths most suitable to them, it is critical that advanced practitioners in oncology be knowledgeable regarding this end-of-life decision. With 40 states denying patients access to medical aid in dying, the purpose of this end-of-life care review is not to persuade for or against medical aid in dying, active euthanasia, or other forms of dying with dignity, but rather to shed light on patient decisions and available end-of-life options for patients where medical aid in dying is not honored. One author has succinctly named this era as “Dying in the Age of Choice,” and therefore the purpose of this article is to present the current state of medical aid in dying. The article presents case studies for the reader, as well as a comparison of California's statistics with the national average. Much like other controversial subjects that intersect morality, religion, and Hippocratic medical ethics, practitioners in the healing arts must remain unbiased and honor the wishes of patients even when they differ from their own. In serving the population with the highest utilization of medical aid in dying, advanced practitioners in oncology should be familiar with the legal specifications in their state or be abreast of solutions for guiding patients through end of life in the states where medical aid in dying remains illegal.