Bill > A576

Introduced Session

This bill would upgrade the crimes of coercing a patient to request medication under N.J.S.A.26:16-1 et al., the "Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act," or forging a patient's request for such medication with the intent or effect of causing the patient's death. Enacted as P.L.2019, c.59, the "Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act" permits terminally ill persons to self-administer medication to end their lives under certain circumstances. Under the enactment, it is a crime of the second degree to willfully alter or forge a request for medication pursuant to the act or to conceal or destroy a rescission of that request with the intent or effect of causing the patient's death. It is a crime of the third degree under the enactment to coerce or exert undue influence on a patient to request such medication. This bill would upgrade both offenses to crimes of the first degree. A crime of the first degree is generally punishable by a term of imprisonment of 10-20 years, a fine of up to $200,000, or both. Under the bill, both crimes of the first degree would be punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 25 years without eligibility for parole.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Bob Auth (R)*,  BettyLou DeCroce (R)*,  Robert Clifton (R),  Ronald Dancer (R),  John DiMaio (R),  Serena DiMaso (R),  Greg McGuckin (R),  Erik Peterson (R),  Gerry Scharfenberger (R),  Edward Thomson (R), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee (on 01/14/2020)