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Hawaii – Death with Dignity

Death With Dignity Death With Dignity

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

Resources for Physicians

Take Action

“ORIGINAL CONTENT LINK”

One Comment

  1. Tyson Tyson August 29, 2020

    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!

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