Your Questions About Medical Aid in Dying, Answered

Medical aid in dying firmly puts patients in charge of their end-of-life care. They are the deciders.

Kevin Díaz - Compassion & Choices President and CEO

Medical aid in dying allows a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to voluntarily request and receive prescription medication from a healthcare provider that they can self-administer to die peacefully, on their own terms.

It’s a patient-directed process—the person remains in full control from the initial request to the final ingestion of medication.
The qualifying individual self-administers the medication, usually a liquid mixture of prescribed compounds. This ensures the choice is voluntary and autonomous from start to finish.

It’s available only to terminally ill adults with a six-month prognosis who are able to self-administer the medication.
The cause of death is listed as the underlying illness, recognizing that medical aid in dying affects how a person dies, not why.

To be eligible, an individual must:

Be 18 years or older
Have at least one healthcare provider diagnose them with a terminal illness
Have a prognosis of six months or less to live
Be mentally capable of making an informed healthcare decision
Be able to self-ingest their medication

Advanced age, disability and chronic health conditions alone are not qualifying factors; having a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less is an essential eligibility factor in all U.S. medical aid-in-dying laws.

The individual takes the medication, typically a powder mixed with liquid for ingestion.
Self-administration is essential— no one else may give the medication. Assistance can be provided in aspects of preparation, holding, and bringing the medication close, but the individual must complete the ingestion.

Though details vary by jurisdiction, eligibility always requires a terminal diagnosis, six-month prognosis, mental capacity, and the ability to self-administer the medication.
Each law includes strict safeguards to ensure voluntariness and transparency.
All laws require a multi-step request process, providers to give information about all appropriate end-of-life options, and opportunities to rescind the request.

Capacity ensures the person understands their diagnosis, prognosis, and options, and can clearly communicate decisions.
Since medical aid-in-dying is patient-initiated and driven, a person must be able to make an informed healthcare decision.

Laws include strong protections to prevent pressure or coercion.
All laws require a multi-step request process.
Any attempt to influence or force someone into using medical aid in dying is a felony.
Healthcare providers are trained to recognize and prevent undue influence.

How Compassion & Choices helps

We work to expand and protect all end-of-life options — including medical aid in dying, voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, hospice, palliative care, and offer tools for advance care and dementia planning.

Our advocacy ensures patients remain the decision-makers at life’s end and that these rights are protected nationwide.

Your Questions About Medical Aid in Dying, Answered

What is medical aid in dying?

How does it work?

What makes it distinct

Who qualifies

To be eligible, an individual must:

How is it administered?

What do U.S. laws require?

Why is decision-making capacity important?

What safeguards protect patient choice?

How Compassion & Choices helps