Physician–Assisted Suicide and Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act

Abstract

This paper uses the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics to analyze Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act (2020). It will gauge how social workers following the code of ethics should position themselves in advocating for or against prospective aid-in-dying legislation. There is a well-documented need for physician-assisted suicide within terminally ill populations. Maryland’s End-of-Life Option Act, which failed to pass in the latter half of 2020, attempted to address this need by legalizing physician-assisted suicide in a manner that protected patients, physicians, and their families from abuse, coercion, and legal repercussion. The law’s provisions that support patient choice, ease of access, and public education are compatible with social work values of personal dignity, social justice, and competence. Conflicts may arise for social workers as they try to balance their commitment to respecting client autonomy via streamlined access to services and their commitment to protecting vulnerable populations who may benefit from increased safeguards and wait times for end-of-life options. Despite these shortcomings, this analysis suggests that social workers should support future versions of this bill. The paper proposes a grassroots advocacy plan in favor of aid-in-dying legislation, whereby advocates are encouraged to gradually accumulate support from relevant local bodies working in aging services.