INDIANA – An Indiana House bill authored by Rep. Matt Pierce, a Democrat from Bloomington, could allow terminally ill patients to cut their life short to avoid pain and suffering.
House Bill 1011 mirrors Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act. In 1997, Oregon enacted the Death With Dignity Act, allowing terminally ill individuals to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of a lethal dose of medication, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose.
A patient must be 18 years of age or older, a resident of Oregon, capable of making and communicating health care decisions for him/herself, and be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death, as determined by two doctors, within 6 months.
House Bill 1011 is passed into law would mirror the Oregon law and allow someone who has six or fewer months to live the chance to end their life with medicine.
Rep. Pierce says several regulations would prevent the law from being abused. A person would have to submit a request to end their life with medicine in writing and have two doctors confirm the diagnosis of a terminal illness with fewer than six months to live.
House Bill 1011
End-of-life options. Allows individuals with a terminal illness who meet certain requirements to make a request to an attending provider for medication that the individual may self-administer to bring about death. Specifies requirements a provider must meet in order to prescribe the medication to a patient. Prohibits an insurer from denying payment of benefits under a life insurance policy based upon a suicide clause in the life insurance policy if the death of the insured individual is the result of medical aid in dying.
Establishes a Level 1 felony if a person: (1) without authorization of the patient, willfully alters, forges, conceals, or destroys a request for medication or rescission of a request for medication with the intent or effect of causing the individual’s death; or (2) knowingly or intentionally coerces or exerts undue influence on an individual to request medication to bring about death or to destroy a rescission of a request for medication to bring about death.
Establishes a Class A misdemeanor if a person, without authorization of the patient, willfully alters, forges, conceals or destroys a request for medication or rescission of a request for medication to affect a health care decision by the individual. Establishes certain criminal and civil immunity for health care providers.
The disease also must be considered “incurable.”
The person also cannot be suffering from depression or any other mental illness.
The medication would also be self-administered.
Rep. Matt Pierce, a Democrat from Bloomington wrote the bill.
He says it could help suffering patients “die with dignity”.
“Anybody who is coercing someone into taking the medication, or administers it for them, kind of forces it on them, is a level one felony which essentially equals murder. So, there’s kind of no messing around here,” Pierce said.
House Bill 1011
Introduced House Bill (H)
Authored by Rep. Matt Pierce.
DIGEST
End-of-life options. Allows individuals with a terminal illness who meet certain requirements to request an attending provider for medication that the individual may self-administer to bring about death. Specifies requirements a provider must meet to prescribe the medication to a patient. Prohibits an insurer from denying payment of benefits under a life insurance policy based upon a suicide clause in the life insurance policy if the death of the insured individual is the result of medical aid in dying. Establishes a Level 1 felony if a person: (1) without authorization of the patient, willfully alters, forges, conceals, or destroys a request for medication or rescission of a request for medication with the intent or effect of causing the individual’s death; or (2) knowingly or intentionally coerces or exerts undue influence on an individual to request medication to bring about death or to destroy a rescission of a request for medication to bring about death. Establishes a Class A misdemeanor if a person, without authorization of the patient, willfully alters, forges, conceals or destroys a request for medication or rescission of a request for medication to affect a health care decision by the individual. Establishes certain criminal and civil immunity for health care providers.
