By Shae Irving , J.D. UC Berkeley School of Law
Updated by Jessica Gillespie , MSLIS Long Island University
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In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering death with dignity laws. Sometimes called "medical aid in dying," "assisted suicide," or "right to die" initiatives, these laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medication to end their lives peacefully rather than suffering a painful and protracted death. The catalyst for greater national attention to this issue was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to end her life in 2014. Maynard chose Oregon because California had not yet passed its aid-in-dying law, and Oregon is one of just a few other states to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.
Oregon was the first state to pass a Death With Dignity Act (DWDA). The law was approved in the state's general election in 1994 but had to weather many challenges before taking effect in 1997. Since then, 4,274 people have received prescriptions under the act and 2,847 have used them to die. (For additional statistics, see the 2023 Death With Dignity Act Data Summary published by the Oregon Department of Public Health.)
This article first clarifies some confusing language related to death with dignity laws and then sets out the requirements for obtaining a prescription for life-ending medication under Oregon's law.
"Death with dignity" and "medical aid in dying" are two of the most commonly accepted phrases describing the process by which a terminally ill person ingests prescribed medication to hasten death. Many people still think of this process as "assisted suicide" or "physician assisted suicide." However, proponents of death with dignity argue that the term "suicide" doesn't apply to terminally ill people who would prefer to live but, facing certain death within months, choose a more gentle way of dying. In fact, Oregon's Death With Dignity Act specifically states that terminating one's life under the law is not suicide. (Oregon Revised Statutes § 127.880 (2024).)
Increasingly, health organizations are turning away from the term "suicide" to describe a terminally ill patient's choice to reduce the suffering of an inevitable death. The phrase "aid in dying" is becoming a more accepted way to refer to this process.
You may also see the phrase "right to die" used in place of "death with dignity" or "aid in dying." However, "right to die" is more accurately used in the context of directing one's own medical care—that is, refusing life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator or feeding tubes when permanently unconscious or close to death. You can provide your own health care directions by completing an Oregon advance health care directive. (See the end of this article for more information.)
To request a prescription for life-ending medication in Oregon, the patient must be:
A patient who meets the requirements above will be prescribed aid-in-dying medication only if:
To use the medication, the patient must be able to ingest it on their own. A doctor or other person who administers the aid-in-dying medication may face criminal charges.
To read the full text of Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, see Oregon Revised Statutes §§ 127.800 and following.
For more details about Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, see the extensive list of Frequently Asked Questions and other Death With Dignity Act Resources on the website of the Oregon Department of Public Health.
To find out more about the history and current status of death with dignity laws in the United States, visit the website of the Death With Dignity National Center.
For information about appointing a health care agent and making known your own wishes for medical care at the end of life, see the Living Wills & Medical Powers of Attorney section of Nolo.com.