Terminally ill patients in New Jersey can opt for physician-assisted suicide starting Thursday

Those with a terminal illness in New Jersey will legally be able to end their life voluntarily beginning Thursday.

The new law, "Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act," was signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in April. The law allows for terminally ill patients to choose to have a physician administer drugs that would result in a painless death.

New Jersey is among a handful of other states that have passed so-called "Right to Die" laws — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana Oregon, Vermont and Washington. The laws are currently on hold in Montana and Washington, DC as they face legal battles.

Under the New Jersey law, only people over the age of 18 that had been diagnosed with an incurable condition that would end the person's life within six months would be eligible to elect for suicide. The person would need to ask their doctor about assisted suicide twice over a 15-day span, and a second doctor would need to confirm the initial diagnosis. Finally, the patient needs to provide a written declaration of their wish to die that needs to be witnessed by two people — one of whom that cannot stand to benefit financially from the patient's passing.

Advocates argue that sick patients should have the right to die peacefully when painful treatments that may not improve quality of life are the only option for survival,

But some experts argue the ethics behind the law make it incompatible with the medical profession. The American Medical Association says the physician-assisted suicide "is fundamentally incompatible with the physician's role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks."

According to NJ.com, nearly 4,000 people have chosen to end their life in right-to-die states since Oregon passed the first law of its kind in 2007.

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Terminally ill patients in New Jersey can opt for physician-assisted suicide starting Thursday

Maine lawmakers pass bill allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives

The Maine state House has passed legislation that would allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients who want to end their lives.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the state House passed the bill by a narrow vote of 72-68 on Tuesday with support and opposition cutting across party lines.

Under the bill, called the Maine Death with Dignity Act, patients at least 18 years old can request lethal prescriptions if a doctor has determined he or she to be suffering from a terminal disease and has less than six months to live.

However, the bill has a number of qualifications a patient would be required to meet before their request is granted.

Consulting physicians would need to assess the patient’s competency to determine if they “may be suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgment.” If the patient is determined to be suffering from a disorder, the physician is required to refer the patient to counseling.

“Medication to end a patient's life in a humane and dignified manner may not be prescribed until the person performing the counseling determines that the patient is not suffering from a psychiatric or psychological disorder or depression causing impaired judgment,” the bill states.

After the adult is determined competent, he or she must “make a written request for medication that the adult may self-administer in accordance” with the bill.

A valid request must be “signed and dated by the patient and witnessed by at least 2 individuals who, in the presence of the patient, attest that to the best of their knowledge and belief the patient is competent, is acting voluntarily and is not being coerced to sign the request,” the bill states.

The bill says the terminal disease the patient is suffering from in such cases has to be “incurable and irreversible” as well as “medically confirmed and will, within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within 6 months.”

The bill now heads to the state senate for consideration.

It arrives on the heels of a similar piece of legislation that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he would approve back in March that would allow terminally ill patients the right to end their lives.

If the legislation becomes law, Maine would become the eighth jurisdiction in the U.S. to have a "death with dignity" act.

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Maine lawmakers pass bill allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives