Bill > H5219

This bill, named the Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, establishes a legal process for terminally ill patients in Rhode Island to request medication to end their life with medical oversight. The legislation allows patients who are 18 or older, suffering from a terminal condition with an estimated six months or less to live, to request life-ending medication from a physician through a carefully structured process. To qualify, patients must make multiple oral and written requests, be deemed capable of making an informed decision, and undergo evaluations by their physician and a second consulting physician to confirm their diagnosis, mental state, and voluntary choice. The bill includes extensive protections for patients and healthcare providers, ensuring that participation is voluntary, requiring detailed documentation, and mandating that physicians inform patients of all treatment alternatives, including palliative and hospice care. Physicians are protected from criminal or civil liability when following the prescribed procedures, and healthcare facilities can opt out of providing such services. The legislation explicitly states that the process does not constitute suicide or euthanasia and is designed to provide terminally ill patients with a dignified choice about their end-of-life care while maintaining strict safeguards against potential abuse.

Justice

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