Dying with dignity laws, also known as physician-assisted dying or aid-in-dying laws, stem from the basic idea that it is the terminally ill people, not government and its interference, politicians and their ideology, or religious leaders and their dogma, who should make their end-of-life decisions and determine how much pain and suffering they should endure.
Death with dignity statutes allows mentally competent adult state residents who have a terminal illness with a confirmed prognosis of having 6 or fewer months to live to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their inevitable, imminent death. By adding a voluntary option to the continuum of end-of-life care, these laws give patients dignity, control, and peace of mind during their final days with family and loved ones. The protections in the Act ensure that patients remain the driving force in end-of-life care discussions.
Some people know when it’s time when they’ve reached a point where their disease or the pain and suffering it causes has robbed them of the quality of life they find essential.
If a person decides the time is not right, that’s fine; it only means the Death with Dignity Act is working as intended because it has given you the freedom and empowerment to set your own timeframe. Some people (about 1 in 3) never take the medication. Simply knowing they have this option, if they need it, gives them comfort.
Current Death with Dignity Laws
Six states and Washington, D.C., have death with dignity statutes:
- California (End of Life Option Act; approved in 2015, in effect from 2016)
- Colorado (End of Life Options Act; 2016)
- District of Columbia (D.C. Death with Dignity Act; 2016/2017)
- Hawai‘i (Our Care, Our Choice Act; 2018/2019)
- Oregon (Oregon Death with Dignity Act; 1994/1997)
- Vermont (Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act; 2013)
- Washington (Washington Death with Dignity Act; 2008)
Learn more about death with dignity in your state
Story of Jean Ayre and her journey