In May 2023, Vermont, following the earlier lead of Oregon, amended its MAID law by allowing non-residents to apply under the law for medical assistance in curtailing their suffering from a terminal illness. At the time, right wing media blasted headlines suggesting that Vermont would become a "suicide magnet" drawing thousands, perhaps tens of thousands patients from all over the country, or at least the Eastern Seaboard. The term "death tourism "or "assisted suicide tourism" was invoked , suggesting that Vermont would become a gateway for the nationalization of MAID.
Proponents of MAID access were cheered by making the procedure available to people from states where the practice is circumscribed if not prohibited. The great hope was that while states like NC refused to address the growing need for terminally ill people to have an option to abbreviate suffering, at a minimum they could now fly to Vermont and die peacefully, once they complied with the local rules of eligibility. There was understandable concern that a huge influx of out of state patients could overwhelm the medical resources of Vermont, where no more than 84 patients per year of in state residents had even been recorded in a 2 year reporting period.
For both proponents and opponents, the data has been underwhelming. In the most recent recording period, July 2023-June 2025, only 56 out of state residents applied for VT MAID's law, compared with 132 in-state residents. Yes, that does represent about 30% of total MAID cases in Vermont, but the number in no way represents a tsunami of out of state applicants, submerging the Vermont resources. And why is this number so relatively low, considering neighboring states like NH, MA, CT, RI and even NY don't have MAID laws?
The answer is simple: for those who are terminally ill, generally in a weakened state, perhaps financially constrained to not be able to afford airfare, renting an apartment for the two week waiting period and then ingesting the medicine away from home and family and friends only to have their body repatriated to their home for burial or cremation, traveling to a foreign state is not ideal.
Of course, it might be different if they could procure the medicine and fly back to their home to take the medicine in a place of comfort and friendship and familiarity. But Vermont strongly advises against such a decision.
Let's face it: if you are suffering from a terminal illness, the idea of making a long trip in your weakened state, and dying in a foreign environment away from friends and family is simply not that appealing.
Thus in many ways, while non residency is a goal to be aspired to for every state with MAID, it will not dramatically change the paradigm of why each state needs to enact MAID laws to facilitate a peaceful end for its citizens in a place they call home.
