Oregon removes assisted suicide wait for certain patients [View all]

Legislation allowing certain terminally ill patients to have quicker access to life-ending medications under the state’s first-in-the-nation assisted suicide law has been signed into law, Gov. Kate Brown’s office announced Wednesday.

The law allows those with 15 days left to live to bypass a 15-day waiting period required under the Death with Dignity Act, something proponents say will reduce bureaucracy and bring relief to gravely ill people.

“This improvement will result in fewer Oregonians suffering needlessly at the end of their lives,” said Democratic Sen. Floyd Prozanski, who helped sponsor the legislation.

Those seeking life-ending medications had to make a verbal request for physician-assisted suicide, wait 15 days and then make a written request. They then had to wait an additional 48 hours before obtaining the prescription. Under the new amendment, doctors can make exceptions to the waiting periods if the patient is likely to die before completing them.

https://www.apnews.com/d6c0af3855f24a0380ecd19bbe8676f0