In 1997, Oregon became the first state to allow “medical aid in dying” (MAiD). The ballot initiative was passed in 1994, but there were multiple challenges before it became law.
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In the United States, almost one third of Americans will live where doctors can “assist” a person who wants to die because of their terminal medical ailment. On August 5, 2026, an “aid in dying” bill will take effect in New York State. A similar law will take effect in Illinois in September. When that happens, 13 states plus the District of Columbia will legally allow the medical profession to help kill the dying.
A Pew Research Center spring 2025 survey found that although most states still ban physician-assisted death, six-in-ten Americans believe that patients who want to end their lives with a doctor’s assistance is morally acceptable at 34 percent), not a moral issue at 29 percent), and morally wrong at 35 percent.
Since everything is political, the Pew Research Center reported:
About three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents see physician-assisted death as morally acceptable (43%) or as a moral nonissue (33%). By comparison, only about half of Republicans and GOP leaners take those positions. Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to call the practice morally wrong (48% vs. 23%).
Currently, these states and jurisdictions offer “aid in dying” to people with incurable illnesses who are expected to die within six months. However, there are sure to be future challenges from those diagnosed with diseases that won’t fully incapacitate them beyond the six-month threshold, such as dementia or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
People against MAiD say humans have no right to play God. However, humans play God whenever we approve medical procedures like open heart surgery, accept devices such as stents or pacemakers, undergo chemotherapy, receive organ transplants, or rely on life-saving medications like insulin.
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But it is the frantic slippery slope that should concern all of us. Someone with evil intent might say, “Grandma has multiple medical issues and lives alone in a four-bedroom, three-bath house while we are raising two kids in a small, overpriced apartment. Hmmm, maybe MAiD can help us..”
Since nearly a third of Americans will soon be living with legal “aid in dying,” we need to be extremely careful not to duplicate what is happening in Canada, where there are numerous stories of patients being encouraged to die. For example, a 45-year-old man suffering from Crohn’s Disease (a chronic inflammatory bowel disease) and depression was in an Ontario fast-food parking lot when he had an attack. Also in the parking lot was Dr. James MacLean, who diagnosed Thomas Dillon right by the parked cars. The doctor and his newfound patient continued communications, and one year later, Dr. MacLean drove Dillon to a MAiD facility, where he was put down.
Maybe the moral of the story is that it is best to use the drive-through window when ordering fast food.
Robin M. Itzler is a regular contributor to American Thinker. She is the founder and editor of Patriot Neighbors, a free weekly national newsletter. Robin can be reached at [email protected].
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Image: Pkd2016 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.