A group of Michigan House Democrats has introduced a package of four bills aimed at legalizing physician-assisted suicide, rebranded as “medical aid in dying,” for terminally ill adults in the state.
The legislation would create a new “Death with Dignity Act” and establish a regulated process allowing certain patients to request and receive life-ending medication from a doctor.
The bills were referred to the House Committee on Government Operations, where they currently sit with no hearing scheduled yet.
Given the Republican majority in the Michigan House, the measures face long odds of advancing, but their introduction alone has reignited the long-running debate over assisted suicide in a state with a notorious history on the issue.
House Bill 5825 would allow “mentally competent” Michigan residents who are 18 years or older, diagnosed with a terminal illness expected to result in death within six months, and acting voluntarily to request a prescription for lethal medication from a licensed physician.
The bill requires two oral requests at least 15 days apart, one written request witnessed by two people, one of whom cannot be a relative or someone who stands to benefit financially, and confirmation of the diagnosis and mental capacity by two physicians.
The act states that death under the law “does not constitute suicide” for purposes of insurance or other legal matters.
The three companion bills provide additional legal protections and framework:
HB 5826 prohibits state licensing boards from imposing sanctions on health care professionals who participate in good faith under the Death with Dignity Act.
HB 5827 establishes sentencing guidelines for any crimes related to violations of the new act.
HB 5828 prevents health insurers from invoking suicide-exclusion clauses in life insurance policies when a death occurs under the provisions of the act.
All four bills were introduced by Democratic representatives and are tie-barred, meaning none can take effect unless the full package passes.
Lead sponsor Rep. Kimberly Edwards described the legislation as compassionate.
“End-of-life decisions are among the most personal choices any individual can face,” Edwards said in a press release. “Our package ensures that patients, not the government, have the final say in how they navigate their final days — with dignity, compassion and respect.”
Co-sponsors include Reps. Reggie Miller, Brenda Carter, Veronica Paiz, Carrie Rheingans, and Samantha Steckloff.
The bills are modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, the first of its kind in the U.S., which took effect in 1997.
As of May, assisted suicide is legal in 12 states plus the District of Columbia.
Michigan has a dark history with assisted suicide, largely due to the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who helped to kill more than 130 people in the 1990s using his infamous “suicide machine.”
Kevorkian, also known as “Dr. Death,” operated largely out of the back of his Volkswagen van or in cheap motel rooms. The majority of the people he helped commit suicide were not terminally ill and many did not even complain about being in physical pain.
At least 19 of the people he helped kill were within 24 hours of meeting them.
One of his “patients,” Hugh Gale, a 69-year-old man with emphysema and heart disease, was on videotape saying “take it off” during the procedure, yet Kevorkian continued.
Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999 and served eight years in prison. He died in 2011.
A 1998 statewide ballot proposal to legalize assisted suicide was shot down by voters 71% to 29%.
Similar attempts in 2017 and earlier sessions also failed.
Critics of the bills argue that even with supposed “safeguards,” assisted suicide laws inevitably expand over time, pointing to places like Canada, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where eligibility has broadened to include non-terminal conditions, mental illness, and even minors in some cases.
Disability rights groups have long warned that legalizing assisted suicide sends a message that some lives are less worth living, potentially pressuring vulnerable patients into ending their lives due to cost concerns or inadequate care.
Pro-life organizations will likely rally against the bills in defense of the sanctity of human life.
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