Up to this point in time, MAID has not been a major contributor to US deaths. In 2024, there were only 11,927 MAID deaths from the total of 3,464,231 US deaths (0.3% of all deaths).

Michigan lawmakers have been attempting to pass death-with-dignity legislation since 1995.  There were multiple failed attempts in the 1990s, resulting in inactivity for about 20 years.  A new attempt was made in 2017 at about the same time that other states began to re-attempt to get MAID laws passed.   The 2017 effort was not successful. 

This brings us to the 2025-2026 legislative session.   Now the legislature is considering another MAID-related bill called the Michigan Death with Dignity Act (House Bill 5825).   If this law is passed, then terminally ill patients who satisfy certain requirements could request and use life-ending medication.  The requirements include: the patient must be a Michigan resident, be at least 18 years of age, mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions, and diagnosed with a terminal disease that will result in death within six months.

There are some protections with the deployment of MAID involving two doctors confirming the diagnosis, the patient’s capabilities, lack of coercion, and other safeguards

The patient must be able to ingest the lethal medication on their own.    Anyone administering the medication will face criminal charges.

To close this review of Michigan’s proposed MAID, Right to Life of Michigan President Amber Roseboom warned about the Michigan Death with Dignity bills:

  “’These bills are a misled attempt to save the state resources under the guise of compassionate care. The repeal of the state’s longstanding safeguard against assisted suicide would put thousands of Michiganders at imminent risk of declining care and abandonment. Turning our backs on vulnerable citizens and patients in their hour of greatest need runs counter to the core mission of healthcare, ultimately denying patients true dignity, care and compassion.”