Delaware authorizes medical aid in dying, making it one of the newest states to do so.
The general eligibility framework
- An adult (18 or older) with the capacity to make their own health care decisions
- Diagnosed with a terminal illness that, in the judgment of the attending physician and a second, independently consulting physician, is expected to result in death within six months
- Able to self-administer the prescribed medication — under every authorizing jurisdiction's law, the choice and the act must be the person's own, not performed by someone else on their behalf
- Required to make more than one request over time (typically both a spoken and a written request), often with a waiting period in between — though the exact number of days, and whether it can be shortened for someone very close to death, varies by state and has changed through recent legislation and litigation in several states
- In most authorizing states, required to be a current resident of that state — Oregon and Vermont are the notable exceptions, having removed their residency requirements after legal challenges
What's specific to Delaware
Delaware's Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Act was signed into law in May 2025 after years of advocacy, and took effect January 1, 2026. Because the law is still new, guidance, forms, and provider participation are still becoming established — it's especially worth checking directly with Delaware's Division of Public Health for the most current, practical information.
For solo agers in particular, this is worth thinking through well before a crisis: the process typically unfolds over days or weeks, not in a single appointment, and usually involves your primary physician, a specialist confirming the diagnosis, and often a hospice or palliative care team. If you don't have a spouse or adult child nearby, make sure whoever holds your health care proxy and anyone on your care team knows your wishes ahead of time — and that your state-specific paperwork, once completed, is stored somewhere they can actually find it.