HB 6645 Summary

• Permits physicians to prescribe medication to competent adults with terminal illnesses (expected to cause death within six months) that patients may self-administer to end their lives, effective October 1, 2013.

• Requires written requests witnessed by at least two persons, with at least one witness being unrelated to the patient and not a beneficiary of their estate, and prohibits surrogate decision-making.

• Mandates attending physicians confirm the patient's terminal diagnosis, competency, and voluntary request, and requires a consulting physician to independently verify the diagnosis unless the terminal illness is too advanced or geographic constraints prevent examination.

• Requires referral for psychiatric evaluation if the patient may be suffering from depression or other conditions causing impaired judgment before medication can be prescribed.

• Prohibits contracts, insurance policies, and agreements from conditioning benefits on whether a patient requests aid in dying, and clarifies the practice does not constitute suicide or assisted suicide under state law.