Index
New Mexico End of Life Options Act
Summary
New Mexico allows terminally ill, mentally competent adults to request and self-administer medication to end their lives peacefully, under the Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act.
Rights & Rules
- 01.You must be an adult resident of New Mexico with a terminal illness and a prognosis of 6 months or less to live.
- 02.You must have the mental capacity to make an informed healthcare decision.
- 03.Unlike some other states, New Mexico allows advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs), not just doctors, to prescribe the medication.
- 04.You must be able to self-administer the medication; no one else can administer it to you.
Penalties
- 01.Intentionally altering or forging a request, or coercing a patient to request the medication, is a third-degree felony.
Verified Citations
New Mexico Statutes Chapter 24, Article 7C
Source"A health care provider may prescribe medical aid in dying medication to an individual after the health care provider has determined that the individual: (1) has a terminal illness; (2) has capacity; (3) has made a request..."