Committee Bill No. 5898 Summary

• Permits competent adults who are Connecticut residents with a terminal illness (expected to cause death within 6 months) to request physician-prescribed medication for self-administration to end their life, effective October 1, 2019.

• Requires two written requests separated by at least 15 days, each witnessed by two unrelated, disinterested parties; attending and consulting physicians must confirm the terminal diagnosis and patient competency.

• Mandates psychiatric or psychological evaluation if either physician suspects depression or other conditions impairing judgment; attending physician must inform patient of diagnosis, prognosis, medication risks, alternatives including palliative care, and offer multiple opportunities to rescind the request.

• Prohibits the act from constituting suicide for criminal purposes, makes coercion or forgery of requests a murder charge, and protects participating healthcare providers and physicians from civil and criminal liability for good faith compliance.

• Restricts life insurance from being conditioned on aid-in-dying requests, prevents participating physicians and witnesses from inheriting the patient's estate, and classifies unauthorized possession or sale of prescribed medication as a Class D felony.