May 3, 2022

Vermont Legalizes Assisted Suicide via Telemedicine

photo credit: Jim Bowen / Flickr
Vermont's newly passed law allows doctors to prescribe suicide drugs to patients via telemedicine. Even if a doctor has only spoken with the patient over Zoom, it will now be legal for that doctor to send the patient suicide drugs to be self-administered.

The legislation was passed by both houses and signed into law by Gov. Phil Scott (R).

The text reads that "A physician shall not be subject to any civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action if the physician prescribes to a patient with a terminal condition medication to be self-administered for the purpose of hastening the patient’s death..."

Vermont's law goes on to describe the restriction that a patient must abide by a 15-day waiting period to be prescribed suicide drugs. If the physician deems it appropriate, however, neither of the two requests for assisted suicide needs to be made in person.