Frequently Asked Questions
What is Medical Aid in Dying for the terminally ill?
Medical aid in dying (MAID) is the legal option (though not yet in Ohio) in which a mentally capable and terminally ill adult with less than six months to live may request and obtain a prescription medication that will end their life. The process to obtain the prescription is strict with multiple safeguards. After obtaining the prescription a person may ingest the medication to die peacefully at the time and place that they choose.
How Does Medical Aid in Dying Differ from Euthanasia?
With medical aid in dying, the terminally ill person must take the medication themselves unaided and therefore, always remains in charge. Euthanasia is illegal in the United States and requires another person to administer the medication.
Can’t people end their lives with a gun or drugs if they want to die?
Dying people at times use stockpiled or illicit drugs or violence against themselves. This is cruel to the dying person and their family and friends who are left traumatized and often wonder why they could not have had the compassionate option of medical aid in dying. As an example of this, read Ohioan Ann Schuur’s powerful story about her father and why she advocates for a Medical Aid in Dying law: