Maine Gov. Janet Mills Thursday signed the death with dignity bill approved by the Legislature last week.In a news conference from the governor's office, Mills said this was the hardest decision she has made while in office.Mills said she hopes this law will be used sparingly and will respect the right of personal liberty.She also added that there should be protections for those who "are unable to articulate their informed choices and those that do not have access to quality end-of-life care." Along with signing the bill, Mills announced an executive order that will require the Department of Health and Human Services to engage in "emergency substantive rule making within the next few months." Mills said the purpose of the executive order is to provide a high level of care for people who need it. She also said it would act as a way to keep track of trends in the use of the law. The bill gained narrow support in both chambers before being sent to Mills.The bill would allow patients with terminal illnesses and less than six months to live to ask for a fatal dosage of prescription drugs. Patients would need to follow a procedure that includes two waiting periods and a second opinion by a consulting physician, along with one written and two oral requests.Physicians would also screen patients for conditions such as depression that could impair judgment.Health care providers could prohibit employees from participating in the law. The bill would criminalize the act of coercing a person into requesting such medications.Similar legislation passed the Senate in 2017, but died in the House.Six states - California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington - have physician-assisted dying acts, according to the Dignity National Center and Death with Dignity Political Fund.The Associated Press contributed to this report.