In these times of coronavirus COVID-19 and its potential for ventilator triage in the face of ARDS (acute respiratory distress…in blunt terms, death by drowning on dry land), more people may wonder about accessing medical aid in dying (MAiD) should they live in a USA jurisdiction where it’s legally availably. Those unfamiliar with these laws may be under the wrong assumption that obtaining life-ending prescriptions under these laws is universal, easy, and quick. They would be wrong in normal times, even more so under the stress of pandemics and even triage.
The Promised Landing: A Gateway to Peaceful Dying does not focus on aided dying—at all. However, it is part of our dying milieu (and one which I support), so among the book’s several appendixes is a six-page section addressing aspects of accessing/providing MAiD from both the civilian and professional perspectives. This pdf excerpt presents that section. It should provide a useful overview.