N.J.’s push and pull over aid in dying

A geriatrician's lawsuit has New Jersey's aid in dying law on hold. It's part of a long fight over similar laws across the country.

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Kevin Roster moved from his longtime home in New Jersey to California so he could access its medical aid-in-dying law. Suffering from sarcoma, he died with medical assistance in Rancho Cordova, Calif., on July 26, 2019, six days before New Jersey's law took effect. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

Kevin Roster moved from his longtime home in New Jersey to California so he could access its medical aid-in-dying law. Suffering from sarcoma, he died with medical assistance in Rancho Cordova, Calif., on July 26, 2019, six days before New Jersey's law took effect. (Emma Lee/WHYY)

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Earlier this year, New Jersey became the eighth state to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients with less than six months to live. The law took effect this month, but there’s an on-going court challenge from a geriatrician in the state. WHYY reporter Nick Pugliese explains why some doctors are concerned about what this law could require them to do, and why more states around the country are passing aid in dying laws.

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