HB 5420 - Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients

• Allows competent Connecticut residents with a terminal illness (expected death within 6 months) to request physician-prescribed medication for self-administration to end their life, effective October 1, 2020.

• Requires two written requests at least 15 days apart, witnessed by two unrelated persons without financial interest in the patient's estate, plus confirmation by a consulting physician of the terminal diagnosis.

• Mandates attending physicians inform patients of their diagnosis, prognosis, medication risks, probable results, and alternatives including palliative care; requires mental health evaluation if depression or impaired judgment is suspected.

• Prohibits insurance contracts from being conditioned on or affected by aid-in-dying requests; protects healthcare providers from liability or disciplinary action for good-faith participation; lists aid-in-dying deaths as caused by underlying terminal illness on death certificates.

• Establishes criminal penalties including murder charges for altering, forging, or concealing aid-in-dying requests, and Class D felony for unauthorized possession or sale of aid-in-dying medication.