Georgia committee holds learning session on medical aid in dying; experts, hospice providers and family members testify

A legislative learning committee chaired by Chair Cooper convened a hearing on medical aid in dying (MAID) in Georgia, hearing presentations from medical and ethics experts, hospice and palliative-care providers, and family members about how MAID works in other states, what safeguards exist, and gaps in palliative and hospice services across the state.

The session was convened after the Georgia Council on Aging (GCOA) added MAID to its 2023 agenda and advocates requested education and study. Ashley Burton, deputy director of the Georgia Council on Aging, told the committee the purpose of the meeting was educational: “While today's topic medical aid in dying can be controversial, our purpose is not to take a position but to provide education and ensure issues affecting older Georgians are heard,” Burton said.

Geriatrician Adrienne Mims provided the committee a medical overview and statutory comparisons from states where MAID is legal. Mims defined MAID as “a medical option where a terminally ill person who is mentally capable and is told that they're not gonna live more than 6 months... have the ability to obtain prescription medication that they can self administer and die peacefully,” and stressed the difference between MAID and euthanasia. She outlined typical requirements in other states: adult age thresholds, terminal prognosis (commonly six months), two requests (often separated by a waiting…