,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bbjd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #bb1  
#bjae ,mrs4 ,boxer introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to respect the ,constitutional 
entitlement to liberty by recognizing   
the right of an individual to have      
personal control over the medical       
assistance and treatment necessary to   
alleviate intolerable physical          
suffering4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act
 may be cited as the ,end of ,suffering 
,act of #bjae4  #b4 ,ensuring personal  
control over medical assistance and     
treatment  7a7 ,in general ,no ,federal 
or ,state law1 regulation1 or agency    
action shall restrict the right of an   
adult who is suffering from an advanced 
illness with intolerable pain or a      
medically certified terminal illness1 to
 receive medication or treatment from a 
physician for the relief of pain and    

other symptoms that limit activities of 
daily living4  7b7 ,limitation on       
liability ,a physician who treats an    
individual described in subsection 7a7  
with a medication or treatment          
sufficient to control pain and other    
symptoms of the illness involved shall  
not be subject to criminal or civil     
prosecution or professional disciplinary
 action if the physician obtains the    
informed consent of the patient in      
accordance with section #c as provided  
for by the ,secretary4  7c7 ,rule of    
construction ,nothing in this ,act shall
 be construed to permit an individual to
 receive medication or treatment under  
subsection 7a7 based solely on the age  
or disability of the individual4  #c4   
,informed consent ,not later than #a    
year after the date of enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and    
,human ,services shall develop a written
 informed consent form that shall       
document the patient's informed decision
 and be signed and dated by the patient1

 and witnessed by at least two          
individuals1 for use under this ,act1   
and issue guidance on situations where  
the use of such form is required4  #d4  
,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,adult 
,the term adult means a mentally        
competent individual who has attained   
the legal age for consent to medications
 or treatments described in section     
#b7;a71 under the applicable law of the 
jurisdiction in which the medication or 
treatment will be received1 as long as  
that age is at least #ah years of age4  
7#b7 ,advanced illness with intolerable 
pain ,the term advanced illness with    
intolerable pain occurs when pain       
associated with one or more incurable   
and life-threatening conditions becomes 
intolerable enough that general health  
and functioning decline1 treatment      
begins to lose its effect1 and quality  
of life increasingly becomes the focus  
of care1 a process that continues to the
 end of life4  7#c7 ,informed decision  
,the term informed decision means a     

decision by an adult1 to receive a      
medication described in section #c1 that
 is based on an appreciation of the     
relevant facts and after being fully    
informed by a physician of--  7,a7 his  
or her medical diagnosis2  7,b7 his or  
her prognosis2  7,c7 the potential risks
 associated with taking the medication  
to be prescribed2 and  7,d7 the feasible
 alternatives4