HB 5802 Summary

• Establishes the "Death with Dignity Act" allowing terminally ill Michigan residents to request physician-prescribed medication to end their lives if they have an incurable disease expected to cause death within 6 months.

• Requires patients to be adults capable of making informed decisions, with two separate requests (oral at initial consultation and written 15 days later) confirmed by both an attending physician and a consulting physician.

• Mandates counseling by a psychiatrist or psychologist to rule out psychiatric disorders or depression impairing judgment, and allows patients to rescind requests at any time without restriction.

• Provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for physicians and healthcare providers acting in good faith compliance, while prohibiting insurance companies from conditioning coverage or rates on a patient's request for life-ending medication.

• Repeals the current Michigan law criminalizing assisted suicide (MCL 750.329a) and replaces it with felony penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment and $375,000 fines for coercion, forgery, or destruction of requests.