Hawaii Enacts Death with Dignity Law

In March, Hawai‘i passed the the “Our Choice, Our Care Act.” The new law provides a terminally ill patient the option of taking a prescription medication that will end his or her life. The Act was signed by Governor David Ige on April 5 and will go into effect on January 1, 2019. Hawaii will become the 7th jurisdiction in the U.S. that allows residents to affirmatively take action to end their lives without legal penalty.

Most states still  criminalize residents for assisting in another person’s suicide, providing them the means for a suicide, or participating in a physical action that results in another person’s suicide. Oregon was the first state to pass legislation to allow physicians to legally assist their residents in ending their lives peacefully in 1994.

See Ethan R. Okura, Estate Planning Insights – Hawaii Enacts Death with Dignity Law, Hawai‘i Herald, April 20, 2018.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.) for bringing this article to my attention.