Current Status
The Arkansas State Legislature is not considering an aid in dying bill at this time.
Resources
Arkansas State Legislature website
Death with Dignity Legislative Tracker
History
2019
For the first time in Arkansas history, the state legislature considered a death with dignity bill. The bill did not advance.
- Full text of HB 1536, Compassionate Care End-of-Life Option Act
- Legislative history of HB 1536
- Introduced February 20, 2019
- Sponsor: Representative Dan Douglas (R)
Pre-2019
One of the early states to address end-of-life options through legislation, Arkansas’ Act 879, the Arkansas Death with Dignity Act, largely focused on legalizing living wills and a patient’s right to refuse extraordinary measures. But the Act also contained the following language: “every person shall have the right to die with dignity.”
This decades-old foundation could be built on with the right combination of advocates and brave legislators.
