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Oregon Death with Dignity 2010 Report

Posted by Peg Sandeen, MSW on January 25, 2011

Oregon Death with Dignity 2010 Report

Since the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was implemented in 1998, the Oregon Department of Human Services has been collecting data about terminally ill individuals who request to use Oregon's law to hasten their deaths. Each year the department publishes a statistical report from the data collected.

The report of 2010's data was consistent with the previous 12 years of data. Oregon's law is working the way is was intended. It lends peace of mind to terminally ill Oregonians without any evidence of a slippery slope harming vulnerable Oregonians.

Some important data points to consider:

  • Oregon's law works well with hospices. In 2010, 93% of patients who requested to use Oregon's law were enrolled in hospice.
  • The top three end-of-life concerns for those who requested the medication were: "Less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable," "Losing autonomy," and "Loss of dignity."
  • Cancer was the leading cause of death.
  • The vast majority (97%) were insured by private insurance or Medicare.

Please visit our resources page to find links to all of Oregon's and Washington's state reports. You can also view them directly on the government websites for Oregon or Washington.

Posted on January 25, 2011 in FAQ, Press Room

Comments

  • Posted by john on Tuesday, February 01 at 10:22 a.m.

    I wish this could include advanced directives for those who suffer from cognitive diseases (Alzheimer's disease) who would be able to let others know in advance that they'd like to die with dignity too, even though they won't be "clear" headed enough on their own to participate in the DWD process fully...

  • Posted by Melissa Barber on Tuesday, February 01 at 11:57 a.m.

    Thank you for writing, John. You've struck on a major part of what makes Death with Dignity laws safe: the entire process is patient-driven and the patient must be able to acknowledge and understand the decision to hasten his or her own death. Only a terminally ill individual is able to request the prescription, and after satisfying the other safeguards within the law, the patient must self administer and ingest the medication.

    Best,
    Melissa

    Melissa Barber
    Electronic Communications Specialist
    Death with Dignity National Center

  • Posted by Tommye Spence on Sunday, February 20 at 02:20 p.m.

    It is an irony, a pity and a shame that we are able to treat our suffering pets more humanely than we are able to treat the people we love who are suffering.

    We have the fear of abuse and evil motives to thank for this. Some of us would prefer to believe that trust and love are superior to fear. I for one will fear no evil.

  • Posted by Jay Zatzkin, MD on Wednesday, February 23 at 09:38 p.m.

    According to many, including Dr. Edward Trudeau- founder of the TB sanatorium at Saranac Lake: Physicians "cure sometimes, Releive often, and Comfort Always." - This all we do, no matter the technological advances, or health system, or country in which we serve our patients.
    To remember that this is our charge, to provide care, not always to be engaged in a battle for cure, would help all doctors to understand the Death with Dignity laws and concepts and help so many of our patients to "die with dignity" without all of the problems that patients presently encounter in pursuit of this goal throughout the world.

Defend dignity. Take action.

You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.

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