As you may know, The Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act (commonly referred to as the MAID Act) went into effect in New Jersey on August 1, 2019. The MAID Act allows an adult New Jersey resident to obtain medication that the patient may self-administer to end their life, provided the patient has the capacity to make their own health care decisions and has been determined to be terminally ill by their attending and consulting physicians.
The implementation of the law was put on hold due to a lower court order. Last week, the State Appellate Division overturned the lower court order staying the implementation of the law and the State Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the Appellate Division’s decision on an expedited basis. Therefore, the MAID Act is, once again, in effect even though it is still being challenged in the courts.
Cooper recognizes that issues of life and death are sensitive and there are many differing opinions. The MAID Act, however, is now the law in New Jersey. Therefore, we have a multidisciplinary team working diligently on developing policies to implement the law at Cooper. The law makes it voluntary for physicians to participate and our policies will allow those Cooper physicians who do not wish to participate a way to opt out that is in compliance with the law.
To learn more about The MAID Act, please visit the New Jersey Department of Health website by clicking here. For any questions, please contact our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joseph Montella.