Current Status
Hawai‘i is the 7th U.S. jurisdiction to enact a death with dignity statute. The Our Care, Our Choice Act went into effect on January 1, 2019. See Reports below.
2020 Legislative Session
In the 2020 session, a number of amendments to the Our Care, Our Choice Act were proposed; none advanced to enactment as the Hawaii legislature went into recess because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
SB2582
- Full text of SB2582
- Amendment SD1 – adds mental health nurse practitioners to the list of professionals capable of conducting mental health evaluations
- Bill summary:
- authorizes advanced practice registered nurses to practice medical aid in dying in accordance with their scope of practice and prescribing authority;
- reduces the mandatory waiting period between oral requests from 20 to 15 days; and
- waives the mandatory waiting period for those terminally ill individuals not expected to survive the mandatory waiting period;
- as amended, authorizes psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, in addition to psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers, to provide counseling to a qualified patient
- Legislative history of SB2582
- Heard in Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health Committee on February 4, 2020 and passed with amendments 6 to 1
- Passed in the full Senate 19 to 4, with 2 excused, on February 28.
HB2451
- Full text of HB2451 (companion to SB2582)
- Amendment HD1 – changes effective date to July 1, 2050
- Amendment HD2 – removes waiver of the mandatory waiting period to patients not expected to survive it
- Legislative history of HB2451
- Heard and passed (with amendments) 5 to 1 in House Health Committee on January 31, 2020; heard and passed (with amendments, HD1) in the House Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee 7 to 3 on February 2; heard and passed (with amendments, HD2) in the House Judiciary Committee 12 to 0 on February 12
SB3047
- Full text of SB3047
- Bill summary:
- allows an advance directive to be a valid written request;
- allows an attending provider to waive the counseling referral requirement;
- allows an attending provider to perform duties through telehealth; and
- requires health insurance policies and contracts issued after 12/31/20 to provide coverage for services related to ending a patient’s life.
- Legislative history of SB3047
- Heard in Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health Committee on February 4, 2020, and deferred
Resources and Additional Information
About the Statute and Implementation
Resources for Patients
- Hawai‘i Department of Health’s information for patients
- How to access Our Care, Our Choice Act
- Forms for patients:
Resources for Physicians
- Hawai‘i Department of Health’s information for healthcare providers
- Forms for physicians:
Am I supposed to die a horrible death (from liver cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, whatever) so somebody else can milk medicare for all they can get and other people can “feel better” because I wasn’t allowed to end my life with dignity? Really? You want me to die a horrible death so YOU will feel better? FUCK YOU!