What is Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)?

MAiD is an end-of-life option, governed by state law, that allows a terminally ill person with six months or less to live — and who has been deemed by two medical providers to be mentally competent — to voluntarily and legally request, receive, and self-administer and ingest a prescription medication to hasten their own death in a peaceful, humane, and dignified manner. The patient can stop the process at any time and may choose to never fill the prescription or ingest the medication.

In every U.S. jurisdiction where MAiD is authorized, a number of protections for patients, the public, and medical providers and facilities are spelled out in law.
MAiD is not currently legal in Alaska.

What’s the difference between MAiD, Death With Dignity, and Physician-Assisted Suicide?

• Death With Dignity: This term originates from the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, the first U.S. law permitting MAiD. It is often used interchangeably with MAiD but is specific to state-based legislative efforts. We prefer to not use the term “death with dignity” because we don’t want to imply that terminally ill adults choosing not to pursue MAiD are choosing an undignified death, which is simply untrue.

• Physician-Assisted Suicide: This term, if used to refer to MAiD, is inaccurate and misleading because it equates MAiD with suicide. Suicide generally involves people who could otherwise continue living but choose to end their lives, often due to mental health conditions. In contrast, MAiD is an option for individuals already dying from a terminal illness. Additionally, the role of medical providers in jurisdictions where MAiD is legally authorized is to determine patient’s competency and prognosis, and (if applicable) to prescribe the medication (which the patient must self-administer).
  Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and American Public Health Association, reject the term "physician-assisted suicide."
  

Which states currently allow MAiD?

California, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia. Additionally, as of February 2025, 14 states have active legislation under consideration to authorize (or improve existing) MAiD laws.

According to a 2020 Gallup Poll, 74% of Americans support the options of MAiD. Support is high across all demographic groups surveyed.

One in five Americans live in a jurisdiction where MAiD is authorized.

Can a person with advanced dementia use MAiD?

No. A person with dementia cannot access MAiD unless they are still mentally capable of making healthcare decisions at the time of their request and self-ingestion. MAiD laws require that:

• The individual must have the mental capacity to understand and communicate their decision.

• The request for MAiD must be made voluntarily and without coercion.

• The patient must self-administer the medication.

Because dementia is a progressive condition that affects cognitive abilities, most individuals with advanced dementia would no longer qualify for MAiD by the time they meet the six-month terminal prognosis requirement. Additionally, MAiD laws do not allow advance directives to be used for requesting life-ending medication in the future if the person later loses capacity.

In states where MAiD is permitted, how often is it used?

A very small number of adults with terminal illness choose to initiate the MAiD process. Of those who obtain the medication, 30% of them never take it. For patients with a terminal illness, having access to MAiD provides a great deal of comfort in giving them a sense of freedom and control.