Would New Jersey Bill Authorize Slow-Motion Euthanasia of Dementia Patients?

National Review ^ | May 18, 2026 | Wesley J. Smith

[Morgana]

Serious moves are afoot to allow ending the lives of dementia patients, either by allowing them to be killed by lethal jab euthanasia if requested in a written advance directive (where legal), or to allow a document to be signed requiring caregivers to withhold sufficient food and water to sustain life.

New Jersey seems to move subtly in the latter direction with a vaguely worded bill, S.B. 4186, that could open the door to intentional legal undernourishment. From the bill:

It is the public policy of this State to respect the dignity, autonomy, and previously expressed wishes of individuals living with dementia by authorizing Dementia-Specific Advance Directives (DSADs), establishing clear standards for “comfort feeding only,” and ensuring that such directives are honored across all care settings.

Please note that this proposal isn’t about withholding or withdrawing bona fide medical treatments, such as kidney dialysis or chemotherapy, but concerns spoon-feeding.

Here is how “comfort feeding only” is defined in the bill:

“Comfort feeding only” means an order that directs caregivers to offer oral food and fluids by hand, if and as tolerated, for comfort purposes, and prohibits artificial nutrition or hydration through feeding tubes or intravenous means.

Feeding tubes and intravenous means are medical treatments that can be withheld or withdrawn. No objections. But what does that definition leave out? Sufficient food and fluids, orally administered, to sustain the patient’s life if the patient willingly eats. Why not require that also?

By all means, prohibit forced feeding, but also provide that patients be given all nourishment they want (consistent with other medical concerns, such as aspiration). If that is insufficient to sustain life over time, so be it. At the same time, undernourishment would not be the goal. Hastening death would not be the intent. Patients who want to eat more than required for minimal comfort could do so.

But that approach would not get the job done, which I think this bill seeks, i.e., allowing patients to order their own sub-rosa euthanasia in slow motion. Once that is allowed, it would be only a matter of time before quicker endings were authorized.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: alzheimers; dementia; dsads; elderabuse; genehackman; legalizedneglect; neglect; newjersey; newjersy; prolife; sb4186; slzheimers

[RWGinger]

Dear God
Let us not be inconvenienced

[FlingWingFlyer]

The elderly will be migrating out of New Joysey.

[allendale]

Anyone who thinks the government of a Democratic controlled state respects human life and dignity is badly deluded. Abominations are routinely rationalized, tolerated and implemented.

[marron]

You have to be careful about a DNR. My relative had one, by which she meant, no extreme procedures please. So she went to the hospital in a bad way, and the psychopaths there decided to adhere to it. No food no water. So we fed and watered her, and in a couple of days she was up and ready to go home.

[doc maverick]

God help all the poor families, nurses and caregivers in nursing homes who are going to be withholding food and water from dementia patients!
Hungry dementia patients wandering, looking for food and not giving it to them will be an impossible situation not to mention demonic!
There are at least 4 types of dementia.
Are they including all?
These politicians should be made to starve!

[PGalt]

DEPOPULATION by many means. Deplorables, bitter clingers, useless eaters, unsustainable human beings. Many willing accomplices to extinguish your right to life. Sad.

[ReganFan4ever]

God bless you for speaking the truth.

[RWGinger]

Agree completely
Great points

[cross_bearer_02]

Let’s declare adherence to leftist ideology a form of dementia. Now those people have to be starved to death.

Different when the shoe is on the other foot, right? What a bunch of ghouls we have in government.

[suasponte137]

I’m sure all the bishops in New Jersey are on board with no issues whatsoever. Probably too busy slinging mud at Trump for talking bad about Islam.

[Clutch Martin]

Once dementia starts shutting down various parts of the brain eventually the cerebellum goes and it’s basically curtains... With a hefty price tag attached.

I’ve seen it more than a few times. Living wills and DNR’s have been the guidance in the past. But even they run short
when it comes to comfortably passing away.

[bantam]

Evil is accelerating!!!

[doc maverick]

“Let’s declare adherence to leftist ideology a form of dementia.”
Excellent idea!!!!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Did anyone really think that if they gave the government all this power, that it would take care of you? LOL. When you become a burden, its time for you to go. Some foolish voters thought they could trade freedom for security. That government would take care of them when they could not take care of themselves. Wrong. They traded freedom for slavery and then being terminated when they become a burden on society.