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This year may prove to be a watershed for those pushing to change state laws throughout the country so that the terminally ill can receive a doctor’s aid in dying. “The 2015 legislative session has been the busiest we have seen in our movement,” said Peg Sandeen, executive director of the Death with Dignity National Center, an advocacy group headquartered in Portland, Ore., the state that enacted the nation’s first aid-in-dying law in 1997. (Shields, 7/10)

The nation’s capital could be on track to join those U.S. jurisdictions where terminally ill patients can legally seek to end their lives with medication prescribed by physicians. D.C. lawmakers on Friday held a hearing on the Death With Dignity Act of 2015, which would authorize doctors to prescribe lethal medication to patients who have been given six months or less to live and wish to die on their own terms. (Hauslohner, 7/10)

Elderly patients may be willing to let family members access their medical records and make decisions on their behalf, but they also want to retain granular control of their health information, a study suggests. “Respecting and preserving the autonomy of the elder is critical,” said lead author Dr. Bradley Crotty. “Elders and families should have honest discussions about preferences for information sharing and decision-making, and share these conversations with healthcare providers.” (Rapaport, 7/10)