New Mexico has passed the "Aid-In-Dying" bill as part of 70 new bills that went into effect earlier this month.
Under the new law, New Mexico doctors will be allowed to prescribe "life-ending medication" to patients who suffer from a terminal illness, but only while the patient is fully coherent to make such a decision, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
"As of today terminally ill, mentally competent New Mexicans will have the option to choose medical aid-in-dying at end of life. May this option bring peace and peace of mind to those facing terminal illnesses. #nmpol @CompAndChoices," state Rep. Debbie Armstrong (D-Albuquerque) wrote in a tweet on June 18.
Barak Wolff
| New Mexico End of Life Coalition
Barak Wolff, board chairman for End of Life Options New Mexico, said the law is carefully tailored to provide safeguards and an opt-out option for physicians with moral objections, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Doctors prescribing such medications, even at a patient's request, has been illegal until this bill.
While the discussion, and passing, of this bill created much debate, Wolff said that less than 0.5% of total deaths in other states with similar law are from patients choosing this method, according to the Albuquerque Journal. According to the article, there is also a 48-hour period in which the prescription has to be filled before it is null and void.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who signed the bill in April, said this law has been long overdue, as those who are suffering from a terminal illness should be allowed to make their own decisions whether to end their lives or not, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
