An Introduction to Medical Aid in Dying – New Jersey

Medical aid in dying is the practice in which a terminally ill, mentally competent adult patient voluntarily requests and receives a prescription medication from a physician that they can self-administer to die peacefully. This allows patients to end their lives on their own terms. Medical aid in dying is authorized in 14 jurisdictions with regulations varying by jurisdiction to ensure that the process is carried out ethically and safely.

New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act authorizes the practice of medical aid in dying, allowing a terminally ill, mentally capable adult with six months or less to live to request from their healthcare provider a prescription for medication that the patient can decide to self-ingest to die peacefully if their suffering becomes unbearable.

New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act was signed into law April 12, 2019 and took effect on August 1, 2019.

To be eligible to use the law, the individual must:

• Be 18 years or older
• Have been diagnosed with a terminal illness
• Have a prognosis of six months or less to live
• Be mentally capable of making their own healthcare decisions

The patient must also be:

• A resident of New Jersey
• Acting voluntarily and making an informed decision
• Capable of self-administering the medical-aid-in-dying drug

A person is not eligible for medical aid in dying solely because of age or disability.