Colorado hospitals could be breaking aid-in-dying law
Colorado voters legalized physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients last November, but the resistance of the state’s Catholic health systems may make aid-in-dying services difficult to access.
STAT reports nearly one-third of hospitals in the states will opt out of offering those services on-site, which is allowed under the law that went into effect on Jan. 1. Physicians, nurses and pharmacists can also refuse to participate.
What isn’t allowed is health systems prohibiting their employed physicians from discussing those options or writing prescriptions to be taken outside the hospital. Two of the state’s largest systems, Centura and SCL, may be violating that provision.
“From what we’ve seen, it appears that Centura’s and SCL’s policies go beyond what is allowed under the law,” said Kat West, national director of policy and programs for Compassion & Choices.
For more on how this may limit aid-in-dying services in rural areas, read the full article below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.