The Washington, D.C., Death With Dignity Act went into effect on June 6, 2017, authorizing the compassionate option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults to get a prescription they can take to end their life peacefully. Through our access campaign, Compassion & Choices continues to educate health care providers and residents of Washington, D.C., about medical aid in dying and the full breadth of end-of-life options.
We created a series of PSAs with Diane Rehm and Dr. Omega Silva to explain D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law.
(Washington, D.C. – July 27, 2017) Supporters of D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act released a fact check video showing the sponsor of an amendment the House Appropriations Committee recently approved to repeal the D.C. law made numerous false claims about the law. The House Appropriations Committee voted 28-24 on July 13 to approve the amendment…
Washington, D.C., residents can finally access the medical aid-in-dying option they voted in support of by a 2-1 margin in November … for now. Representative Andy Harris (R-Md.) introduced a measure to repeal the law, and the House Appropriations Committee has advanced it. The measure must still be approved by the full House and Senate,…
Compassion & Choices today launched a bilingual campaign to educate terminally ill D.C. residents, their families and medical providers about the benefits and requirements of D.C.’s new medical aid-in-dying law that took effect yesterday (Monday, July 17). The mayor’s announcement came four days after the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment that would invalidate the D.C. law…
The following article appeared in the Washington Post on July 14, 2017: The House Appropriations Committee late Thursday advanced a measure to repeal the District’s assisted suicide law, known as Death with Dignity, opening a new front in the city’s battle for self-determination. The measure, introduced by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), must still be approved…
The following article appeared on Yahoo!News on July 14, 2017: The District of Columbia’s Death With Dignity Act was dealt a surprise congressional setback late Thursday night, when the House Appropriations Committee voted not only to defund the implementation of the bill, which had been expected by proponents, but to rescind the new law completely….
Supporters of D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law warned that if Congress uses its appropriations power to block funding to implement the law, it could spur opponents to seek a nationwide ban of such laws. Medical aid-in-dying laws give mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to get a doctor’s prescription…
Compassion & Choices staff and D.C. residents testified at the D.C. Council Budget Oversight Hearing on Health to urge swift action to ensure that all steps necessary to ensure residents the option of medical aid in dying is completed. “Our organization, healthcare providers and most importantly the patients who desperately need this option recognize that…
Volunteering for Compassion & Choices in the nation’s capital comes with a unique set of responsibilities. Just ask Kamer Davis, a volunteer with the Federal Affairs program in Washington, D.C. A chance encounter with a C&C employee brought her onto the team, where she’s managed multiple projects on a communications and logistical level. Kamer has…
The District of Columbia’s medical aid-in-dying bill, the D.C. Death with Dignity Act, took effect Feb. 18 when opponents failed to get the support necessary in Congress to stop the bill from becoming law. The Death with Dignity Act was transmitted by the D.C. Council to the House and Senate on Jan. 6 for a…
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