An advocacy group estimates that about 50 terminally ill adults in Colorado requested life-ending prescriptions this year, the first year doctors could assist patients under the state’s Aid in Dying law.
The numbers come from the group Compassion and Choices that backed the law, which voters approved in 2016. They base the estimates on inquires to their consultation service and information from providers.
Kat West, the group’s national director of policy and programs, says based on statistics from other states with similar laws, perhaps two-thirds of those prescribed the drugs end up taking them. A third go unfilled, she said.
“About a third of people who get the prescription do not end up taking them because they don’t experience unbearable suffering at the end of life,” said West. “Most people who do get a prescription leave it at the pharmacy until they are ready or have chosen to use it.” Read the rest of the story at Colorado Public Radio.
