Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act Sees Increased Usage
According to a recent report, more individuals in Oregon are expected to be prescribed lethal medications in 2025 than in any previous year. In the past year, doctors issued 637 prescriptions under the state’s Death with Dignity Act, which essentially refers to physician-assisted suicide. Notably, this marks the highest number since the law’s inception in 1997, with a projected increase of about 5% from 2024.
Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to adopt such a law and now joins over a dozen others, including Washington, D.C., that permit physicians to aid terminally ill patients. To qualify in Oregon, patients must be at least 18 years old, capable of making their own medical decisions, and have a prognosis of six months or less to live.
Since 1997, 5,520 individuals in Oregon have received prescriptions for these drugs, and 3,691 have used them to end their own lives, as per the report.
Interestingly, the report also indicates a rise in out-of-state patients receiving prescriptions after Oregon lifted residency requirements in 2023. In 2025, 37 people from outside Oregon were prescribed these lethal medications, a notable increase from 24 in 2024.
However, not everyone who is prescribed the drugs actually takes them. Last year, there were 358 documented deaths from drug ingestion among prescription recipients. An additional 100 individuals did not take the drugs but died from their underlying conditions. For 179 patients, it remains unclear whether they used the medications.
The total known deaths associated with this law dropped slightly from 421 in 2024 to 400 in 2025. Yet, health officials anticipate that the 2025 figure will likely surpass that of 2024 once more death records are processed.
“We’ve observed a steady rise in both prescriptions and deaths among Death with Dignity participants over recent years,” stated Dr. Tom Jean, Oregon’s deputy state health officer.
The report reveals that approximately 88% of those utilizing the law are over 65 years old, with about 61% of cases resulting from cancer, while neurological and heart diseases are the next most common conditions.
Furthermore, about 92% of patients who secured the medication were enrolled in hospice care, with nearly 80% dying at home. It is worth noting that last year, 24 participants lived beyond the typical six-month prognosis before opting to use the drugs. Although doctors prescribe these medications, they are usually not present at the time of ingestion. Most patients consume the drugs at home, often in the company of family members, caregivers, or volunteers.
