Vermont’s Action Will Help Terminally Ill Adults in Other States Access Peaceful Dying Option Advocates for improving end-of-life care options for terminally ill adults praised the Vermont legislature and Governor Phil Scott (R-Vt.) for becoming the first state to remove the residency requirement from its medical aid-in-dying law.
Vermont is just one final step away from eliminating the residency requirement from our medical-aid-in-dying law, Act 39. We extend our heartfelt thanks to members of the Vermont Senate who overwhelmingly passed H.190 yesterday. In particular, our thanks go out to Senator Ginny Lyons, Chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, and the committee members who carefully considered this bill. We are pleased to report that the Vermont Senate Committee on Health and Welfare voted on Thursday, April 14, 2023 to recommend House Bill 190, which would remove the residency requirement from our medical-aid-in-dying law, Act 39. The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote.
Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) is pleased to celebrate the settlement of a lawsuit filed last August challenging the constitutionality of the Vermont residency requirement in our medical-aid-in-dying law (Act 39). The settlement means that plaintiff Lynda Shannon Bluestein, a terminally ill cancer patient from Connecticut, will now have access to medical-aid-in-dying services in Vermont. The settlement further stipulates that Vermont officials will support removal of the residency requirement from the law. Act 39, adopted in May 2013, enables terminally ill Vermonters who are capable of making their own medical decisions, to request and receive medication to bring about a hastened death at a time of their choosing. Act 39, like similar medical-aid-in-dying laws in other states, currently makes end-of-life choice only available to Vermont state residents. Josh Crane, reporter and producer for Brave Little State with Vermont Public says, "If you’re like me, you may not have realized Vermont is one of just 10 states with a Medical- Aid-in-Dying (MAiD) law on the books. Act 39, as it’s known here, passed in 2013. And there’s a bunch of criteria you must meet in order to use it, like being a Vermont resident over the age of 18 with a terminal illness."
When you are sick, the last thing you want to worry about is whether you will receive complete and accurate information about your illness and your options. On a recent Vermont Edition program on medical aid in dying, a caller related her mother’s story:
“My mom was in hospice for 18 months and it was long and arduous… after she died, I wanted to ask her doctor why that option (medical aid in dying) was not offered to her.” We are very pleased to welcome Audrey Winograd to our team. Audrey is a lawyer and hospice-trained medical social worker with experience in neurology, oncology, chronic disease, and end-of-life care. She holds a law degree from Rutgers University, a Masters in Organizational Development from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Social work from the University of Vermont. Audrey brings 40 years of experience in the field of organizational and community work, personal empowerment and patient-centered care. As a medical psycho-therapist she empowers clients to enhance one’s lived experience today, while engaging in shared decision making for tomorrow. On Thursday, August 25, 2022, Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) Board Member Dr. Diana Barnard, in collaboration with the national organization Compassion & Choices and Lynda Bluestein, a terminally ill Connecticut resident seeking medical aid in dying, filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the residency requirement contained in Vermont's Act 39. PCV applauds this work and stands ready to educate the public about the availability of medical aid in dying across state lines.
Like many Vermonters, I have been distraught over the U.S. Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe vs Wade. As a lawyer, I am keenly aware that this reversal of a half-century of legal precedent is tied to legal and political theories that pose broader threats to our rights to bodily autonomy.
We are pleased to announce that Senate Bill 74 was signed by the Governor today, marking an important milestone for Vermonters who value end-of-life choice. This bill, passed with strong tri-partisan support, updates and improves the state’s Patient Choice at End of Life Law, Act 39.
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