As a mostly retired physician of 40-plus years who lives in the Connecticut Valley, I’ve long been in favor of our state legalizing Medical Aid in Dying (MAID, also known as Death with Dignity). It would ensure the option of a peaceful and painless death by self-administered medications for any person who is terminally ill with six months or less to live; mentally capable of making their own end-of-life healthcare decisions; and facing unbearable pain and suffering despite the best efforts of hospice. No physician would be required to prescribe medication if it was contrary to their religious or ethical beliefs.
When I learned last December that our neighbor New York state finally passed the bill after more than 10 years of growing resident and legislative support, I thought finally this will convince Massachusetts to do the same after 18 years of resident advocacy for such bills in our Legislature. But The End of Life Options Act (S.1486), championed in the Senate by Sen. Jo. Comerford, after passing two different healthcare committees in 2025 has instead languished in the Senate Ways and Means Committee (SWMC) for the past six months without being considered or voted on. And the legislative session ends on July 31.
It’s now up to Senate President Karen Spilka to greenlight this bill and give the OK for the chair of the SWMC to vote on it. Please join me in contacting Sen. Comerford and appreciating her leadership on getting this bill passed. But even more important, contact people you know all over the state; urge them to contact their state senator; and ask them to call on Spilka to prioritize a vote on this bill, first in the SWMC, and then by the full Senate. Then it can go the House and hopefully be passed there as well.
Gov. Healey has indicated that she would sign such a bill if passed by the Legislature, after reviewing it for adequate safeguards to prevent any potential abuse of vulnerable elders or people with disabilities. These safeguards and more are certainly there, since the bill is based on the experience of 13 other states, including Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, Oregon, and California that have had such MAID laws for decades, and where there has not been one substantiated case of abuse.
My personal journey from initially being against MAID, to then becoming a staunch supporter, came as a result of sadly witnessing the painful deaths (despite the earnest help of hospice and palliative care), of each of my parents. They were both Holocaust survivors, so their life experiences made me exquisitely sensitive to and aware of the ethical issues that can lead to the loss of human dignity, both in life and death.
The robust safeguards of this Massachusetts bill give me unconditional assurance that passing this bill is the right thing — so that terminally ill patients can have the option to choose to end their life with dignity on their own terms.
Dr. Shelly Berkowitz lives in Northampton.