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 period), documented capacity, a second medical opinion, and self-administration of the medication.

Mims described national usage data drawn from long-running programs (Oregon data cited): more than 4,000 prescriptions written since Oregon's 1998 law, with only about two-thirds used; 69% of users had cancer; the average age was about 73; and roughly 91% of people who used the prescription died at home while already enrolled in hospice. “It is a choice,” Mims said, citing reasons users have reported: maintaining autonomy, avoiding loss of dignity or inadequate symptom control.

Family testimony gave committee members a detailed personal account of MAID's effects. Jamie McNeil, who said her sister Jennifer Bullard died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using California's end-of-life option, described the final days and the family’s decision: “She didn't deserve to suffer... She didn't deserve to be tortured,” McNeil said. McNeil described intensive, prolonged symptoms and said the option allowed her sister to “die on her own terms with the dignity and grace that she deserved.”

Committee members and presenters discussed safeguards and practical issues. Representative Barnes asked about unused prescriptions and secure delivery; Mims recommended existing drug-disposal programs and noted many states allow pharmacy delivery. On whether an antidote exists, Mims said there is no antidote once the medication is taken and that loss of consciousness usually occurs within minutes. On questions about coercion and financial incentives, Mims said the process requires a patient-initiated request and multiple physician confirmations; she also noted that most states treat participation as voluntary for clinicians.

Hospice and palliative-care presenters emphasized capacity and equity concerns. Dr. Mary Mosley (home-based palliative care physician) and social worker Anthony Davis said palliative care can reduce suffering and help patients make informed decisions, but services are concentrated in urban centers and under-resourced in rural Georgia. “Ensuring equitable access to palliative care is essential in policy discussions about medical aid in dying because without it, patients may feel pressured into life ending decisions simply due to gaps in care,” Mosley said. Donna Morgan, a longtime hospice executive, reported there are nearly 100 licensed hospices in Georgia, concentrated in urban areas, and that hospice can often control pain and symptoms though not always every source of suffering.

Several lawmakers raised questions about oversight, cost and demographics. Committee members heard that in many states the MAID prescription itself is obtained through a compounding pharmacy and can cost roughly $750–$950 out of pocket; federal health insurance generally does not cover the medication. Mims and other presenters said state-level forms and registries typically accompany MAID laws in states that have them, and that prescription monitoring programs and pharmacy boards provide oversight related to controlled substances.

Lawmakers also stressed mental-health safeguards and the need to prevent undue influence. Mims described that physicians assess capacity and may refer for psychiatric evaluation when doubts arise; some states mandate mental-health evaluations under specified circumstances. Social-work testimony emphasized that lack of social supports, caregiver shortages or unmet basic needs can drive expressed desire for hastened death and that those factors should be addressed in policy design.

No formal votes or motions were taken during the learning session. The committee framed the hearing as an informational step: committee members asked presenters for additional materials, including state-level data, information about insurance coverage and the costs of MAID medications, and analyses of palliative-care access across Georgia.

The committee adjourned after roughly two to three hours of testimony and questions. Presenters and lawmakers agreed the discussion raised complex medical, ethical and practical questions and that further education and data collection would be needed before drafting policy.

(For the record: the committee hearing was educational; no bill was introduced or voted on during this session.)