Honolulu, Hawaii, Jan 8, 2019 / 14:01 pm
Hawaii's law legalizing assisted suicide went into effect last week, but many physicians and pharmacists are choosing not to prescribe or dispense the needed medication.
The Our Care, Our Choice Act was signed into law in April 2018, and took effect Jan. 1.
"A minority of physicians feel prepared to actually participate in terms of writing a prescription," Dr. Daniel Fischberg, medical director of the The Queen's Medical Center palliative care department told the AP.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Queen's Medical Center and Hawaii Pacific Health have both said their pharmacies will not fill prescriptions for assisted suicide, and patients may not administer the medication at their locations.