MAID BILL PASSES IN DELAWARE ... SIGNED BY NEW COMPASSIONATE GOVERNOR
After over a decade of advocacy, HB140 was signed by Gov. Matt Meyer in May 2025 making Delaware the 12th jurisdiction to make MAID available to terminally ill residents.
The bill, named the "Ron Silverior / Heather Block Delaware End-of-Life Options Act" after two advocates of MAID introduced it in 2015. It passed out of the House Health and Human Development Committee in 2017, but did not advance further. This year in May, it was reintroduced as HB 140, passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Matt Meyer.
Meyer commented, "Today I'm going to sign a bill that speaks to compassion, dignity, and respect for personal choice. This signing today is about relieving suffering and giving families the comfort of knowing that their loved one was able to pass on their own terms, without unnecessary pain, and surrounded by the people they love most."
NEW YORK COULD BECOME 13TH JURISDICTION TO LEGALIZE MAID
In June we celebrated: both chambers of the New York legislature passed a MAID bill (A136 and S138) and it advanced to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk for her signature or veto.
New York formed an alliance of five organizations to pass the bill that has been in the works for over ten years. A 2024 survey found 72% of New Yorkers support MAID. What can you do now? Go to End of Life Choices New York to see what you can do to help carry this over the finish line. If you know a New Yorker or two, urge them to advocate and donate if possible. New York would be the 13th U.S. jurisdiction to support MAID, and when it becomes effective nearly 100 million Americans will live where MAID is legal. Fingers crossed. Can this be the "tipping point" the right-to-die movement needs to reach nationwide acceptance?
MAINE CELEBRATES IT’S FIRST AMENDMENT TO THEIR MAID LAW SINCE 2019
States that have passed MAID bills have various requirements for oral requests, written requests and waiting periods in between. Many states have discovered that these requirements are hindering access to the end of life option and bills are amended over time.
In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills signed their MAID bill (LD1313) into law on 6/12/19 after the efforts of many including those at Maine Death with Dignity. Their law stated the terminal patient must make two oral requests, at least 15 days apart and a written request at least 15 days after the first oral request. Prescriptions could not be filled until 48 hours after the written request which made the minimum waiting period a total of 17 days. This represented the longest waiting period of all the states that have legalized MAID. Until now!
Recognizing that some qualified patients might not survive this waiting period, Maine amended their MAID bill (LD613) to allow for the attending physician, using their clinical discretion to waive part of the waiting period as long as the minimum waiting period is no less than seven days. Gov. Mills was quick to sign the amendment, and it goes into effect September 18, 2025.
COLORADO'S INAUGURAL END OF LIFE OPTION CONFERENCE
Named "Empowering End of Life Care: Medical Aid in Dying for Professionals", organized by End of Life Options Colorado and endorsed by The Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine, this sold out conference was held in Denver and celebrated the passage of the MAID law in Colorado in 2017. Coloradans who are terminally ill and unaware of the MAID bill say wistfully, "I wish I could go to Oregon" but conferences such as this will help health care workers and doulas educate their patients about the end-of-life option right in their native state.
In other Colorado news, plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit challenging the residency requirement of the Colorado MAID bill (McComas v. Polis). Oregon and Vermont settled similar suits and eliminated their residency requirements. Watch this space for the outcome.
