In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering medical aid in dying laws. Sometimes called "death with dignity," “assisted suicide,” or “right to die” initiatives, these laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medication to end their lives peacefully rather than suffering a painful and protracted death.
The catalyst for greater national attention to this issue was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to end her life in 2014. Maynard chose Oregon because California had not yet passed its aid-in-dying law, and Oregon was one of just a few other states to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives at the time. Today, 13 states—including California, Colorado, and New Mexico—plus Washington, D.C. have passed medical aid in dying laws.
Although death with dignity is still unavailable in Alaska, you might be wondering about what "medical aid in dying" entails, where efforts to pass a medical aid in dying law stand in Alaska, Alaskans' current options for end-of-life care, and what citizen groups are doing to help bring a death with dignity law to the state. Read on for more on each of those topics.
In This Article
What Is Medical Aid in Dying?
"Medical aid in dying" and "death with dignity" are two of the most commonly accepted phrases describing the process by which a terminally ill person ingests prescribed medication to hasten death. In states that have enacted medical aid in dying laws, eligible patients must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that is expected to cause death within six months, mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions, and able to self-administer the prescribed medication. (Each of these state laws is modeled on Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, as it was the first law of its kind to be enacted in the United States.)
Many people might still think of this process as "assisted suicide" or "physician-assisted suicide." However, proponents of medical aid in dying argue that the term "suicide" doesn’t apply to terminally ill people who would prefer to live but, facing certain death within months, choose a more gentle way of dying. Increasingly, health organizations are turning away from the term "suicide" to describe a terminally ill patient’s choice to reduce the suffering of an inevitable death. Instead, the phrase "medical aid in dying" has become a more accepted way to refer to this process.
You could also see the phrase "right to die" used when discussing medical aid in dying. However, "right to die" is more accurately used in the context of directing one’s own medical care—that is, refusing life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator or feeding tubes when permanently unconscious or close to death. You can provide your own health care instructions by completing an Alaska advance health care directive. (See more on this topic later in this article.)
What Is the Status of Medical Aid in Dying in Alaska?
Alaska lawmakers considered a medical aid in dying bill for the first time—and, to date, the only time—in the 2017-2018 legislative session. Although the bill (numbered HB 54 and called the Alaska Voluntary Termination of Life by Terminally Ill Individuals Act) passed in the House Health and Social Services Committee, it died in the Judiciary Committee when the legislative session ended. That means medical aid in dying is still illegal and unavailable in the state.
Current End-of-Life Options in Alaska
In Alaska or any other state, you have a right to provide such directions or give any other health care instructions by completing an advance health care directive. Health care providers are required to honor your wishes or transfer you to another care provider who will do so. For information about appointing a health care agent and making known your wishes for medical care at the end of life, see the Living Wills & Medical Powers of Attorney section.
In case of advanced, chronic, or end-stage illness, you have the option of completing a Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form. This document allows you to communicate your wishes for the provision of CPR, medically assisted nutrition, and other medical interventions. A POLST form must be signed by your health care provider, who will first talk to you about your particular illness or condition, the prognosis, any potential treatment options, and your overall goals. It's important to note that a POLST form is meant to work alongside a more comprehensive advance health care directive, not replace it.
Advocating for a Medical Aid in Dying Act in Alaska
Although the Alaska legislature has not taken up the issue of medical aid in dying since 2017, citizen groups are continuing to work to legalize death with dignity in the state. If choice at the end of life is important to you, here are some things you can do:
- Contact your representatives in the state legislature and encourage them to support death with dignity in Alaska.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
- Tell your family, friends, health care providers, and others why you believe terminally ill patients should be allowed to choose medical aid in dying.
- Search for—or start—a community advocacy group. The Compassion & Choices website can help you connect with others in your area.
Learn More
To find out more about the history and current status of medical aid in dying laws in the United States, visit the website of the Death With Dignity National Center.