Vermont now allows non-residents to use MAiD Here's what you need to know.
Vermont has become the first state in the country to go through a legislative process to allow non-residents to request medications to hasten their death. Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill into law May 2.
With the residency requirement dropped, it will be possible for terminally ill people to travel to Vermont to pursue – under strict conditions – the option of choosing the time and place of their death. Our colleagues at Patient Choices Vermont have created a fact sheet for out-of-state people. See the fact sheet here.
Patients must meet all of Vermont ‘s other criteria for medical-aid-in-dying (MAiD) eligibility. The patient must be over 18 and mentally competent. They must be able to self-administer the life ending prescription. And they must be judged by two Vermont physicians as having less than six months to live. This means that out-of-state residents must establish a relationship with a Vermont physician. Physicians may make individual decisions about how they will accept MAiD patients and some may decide to only accept patients enrolled in hospice, for instance.
Critically for people in other states, the entire procedure for medical aid in dying should be completed in Vermont. A New Hampshire resident should not get the prescription in Vermont and bring it home to use.
Here’s why: In New Hampshire, where MAiD is not yet legal, “assisting suicide” is a criminal offense. If a patient received the prescription in Vermont and used it here in New Hampshire with the knowledge of or in the presence of friends or family, those loved ones could potentially be implicated in the death. Vermont and the other nine states and District of Columbia where medical aid in dying is legal specifically state that MAiD is not suicide. Everyone involved with the death is protected by law.
We’re very pleased that Vermont has opened up MAiD to more people. And this highlights why we in N.H. need a MAiD law of our own. Why should our citizens be forced to travel away from home to exercise a right to die? Most people say they want to die at home. It’s time we in the “Live Free or Die” state honor that.
If you or anyone you know is interested in pursuing medical aid in dying in Vermont, please contact NH Options first. We are working with our partners, Patient Choices Vermont, to keep New Hampshire residents informed and offer guidance.