Vermont Business Magazine PCV applauds the Vermont Senate’s vote to approve Senate Bill 74, which updates and improves Vermont’s Act 39, the state’s Patient Choice at End of Life Law. Act 39 gives adult Vermonters who are terminally ill and who can make their own decisions, the option to receive self-administered medical aid in dying in order to bring about a peaceful death, if and when the patient chooses. Participation in the law is completely voluntary. Vermont is among eleven states that have similar laws providing end-of-life choice for the 22% of Americans.
“On behalf of the many Vermonters who express their gratitude for Act 39, we thank the Vermont Senate for considering the voices of terminally ill Vermonters,” says Betsy Walkerman, President of Patient Choices Vermont. “These improvements will make proper use of the law less onerous for dying people while keeping the safeguards strong.”
S.74 now moves to the Vermont House of Representatives. The bill would improve the following three aspects of Act 39:
1. Telemedicine: Enable terminally ill Vermonters to make their requests for aid in dying under Act 39 by telemedicine.
2. Timeline: Adjust the Act 39 timeline to eliminate the final 48-hour delay in obtaining a prescription.
3. Immunity: Correct a technical deficiency in Act 39 by clarifying that all participants in the process including the pharmacist have legal immunity.
Dr. Diana Barnard says, “Tony Digiacomo, husband of Lynn Achee, a former patient of mine asked me to share her story in the hopes that other people would not have to suffer the delays and heartache that she did. The long Act 39 process caused her to miss the window for using medical aid in dying. Tony said she would be grateful to know that S.74 is moving successfully through the legislative process.”
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(MONTPELIER, JANUARY 24, 2022) - PCV