New Jersey

Medical Aid in Dying for the

Terminally Ill Act

2019 Data Summary

Prepared by:

The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner

Executive Summary

The New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act (P.L. 2019, c. 59) permits an

attending physician to write a prescription for medication that would enable a qualified

terminally ill patient to end his or her life. This Act was approved April 12, 2019 and went into

effect August 1, 2019.

The Act defines “terminally ill” as “the terminal stage of an irreversibly fatal illness, disease, or

condition with a prognosis, based upon reasonable medical certainty, of a life expectancy of six

months or less. The Act defines an “attending physician” as a “physician who has primary

responsibility for the care of the patient and treatment of a patient’s terminal disease.”

The Act requires a qualified terminally ill patient to be a capable adult resident of New Jersey

person who is not:

At the time of the initial oral request, an attending physician would have to recommend that the

patient take part in consultations on treatment opportunities. At the time of the second oral

request, the attending physician must offer the patient the opportunity to rescind the request. At

least 15 days would have to elapse between the initial oral request and the writing of the

medications directly to the patient, the attending physician, or an identified agent of the patient.

Medications cannot be dispensed to the patient by mail or other form of courier.

The Commissioner of Health shall require the physician and pharmacist who dispensed the

medication to file a copy of the dispensing record with the department no later than 30 days after

dispensing the medication. The attending physician and consulting physician shall also file

required documentation with the department no later than 30 days after the qualified terminally

ill patient’s death. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner (OCSME) has been tasked

with documentation of each event and the creation of an annual report.

Participation Summary and Trends

During the period between August 1

and December 31

of 2019, twelve (12) Medical Aid in

Dying cases were filed with the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner (OCSME).

50%50%

Of the twelve MAiD cases, the age of patients reported was between 50 and 93. The mean and

45-54 years 55-64 years 65-74 years 75-84 years 85+ years

It is recommended that when the patient takes the prescribed medication, they leave a copy of the

required paperwork in plain view.

- In 67% of cases, the OCSME was notified of the death via mailing-in of required forms.

- In 33% of cases, the OCSME was notified of the death via a phone call

In 2018, heart disease was the leading cause of death in New Jersey, accounting for 25.1% of all

deaths, followed closely by cancer at 21.1%. However, for those participating in the Medical Aid

The New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act does not make

recommendations for any specific medications that should be prescribed for a patient, but it does

state the patient must be able to self-administer the medication. If medication is dispensed and

for whatever reason the patient decides not to self-administer the medication, it must be disposed

of by lawful means, including but not limited to, disposing of the medication in a way consistent

with State and Federal guidelines concerning disposal of prescription medications, or by