Ropes & Gray Submits Amicus Brief in Mass. SJC Litigation about Medical Aid in Dying

In The News
March 2, 2022

On February 21, Ropes & Gray filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) in Kligler v. Healy on behalf of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation of Massachusetts, the leading associations representing physicians as well as hospice and palliative care professionals in the Commonwealth.

In this case, the SJC is evaluating whether the application of the involuntary manslaughter law to medical aid in dying (MAID) violates the Massachusetts Constitution.

The team’s amicus brief remained neutral on the merits and argued that, based on the extensive experience and expertise of amici, any consideration of MAID should be accompanied by legal guidance and standards akin to those implemented in U.S. jurisdictions that have legalized the practice.

Ropes & Gray partners Doug Hallward-Driemeier (Washington, D.C.) and Rob Skinner (Boston) led the team that submitted the brief, which also included associates Thanithia Billings (Boston) and Brandon Jiha (Washington, D.C).