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Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) is a 501(c)3, non-partisan, non-profit organization that has led the legal defense and education of the Oregon Death with Dignity Law for more than 10 years. DDNC's Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund is a distinct and separate 501(c)4 entity responsible for the political defense of the Oregon law and the promotion of death with dignity initiatives in other states. DDNC board of directors is comprised of some of the death with dignity movement's most esteemed medical, legal and scholarly experts.
DDNC Defends Dignity
We achieve this through our extensive and costly legal defense of the Oregon law, as well as political lobbying and coalition building. Our non-profit and political-action arms provide the flexibility to rapidly respond to both legal and political challenges.
DDNC Mobilizes Dignity
We achieve this through various education and outreach programs. The Next Generation program is building a national network of physicians and medical students in order to close the end-of-life education gap through education forums, research and a quarterly e-newsletter. The Oregon+One program identifies and supports states actively seeking to pass death with dignity laws similar to Oregon's. DDNC's Web site is a trusted resource for legal, medical and scholarly research and receives more than 5,000 visits each day. Our Dignity Report donor newsletter provides more than 10,000 quarterly readers with substantive articles, updates and interviews.
DDNC Preserves Dignity
We achieve this by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as the leader of the death with dignity movement. During the 2004-2005 fiscal year, more than 71% of donor contributions were invested in DDNC programs [audited figures provided by McDonald Jacobs, PC].
The mission of Death with Dignity National Center is to provide information, education, research and support for the preservation and implementation of the Oregon Death with Dignity law as a stimulus to improved end-of-life care and a final option for dying individuals. This includes the efforts to inform and educate the general public and elected government officials about the Oregon Death with Dignity law; to counteract any attempts by opponents to repeal or limit the law; to advocate for improved care and treatment options for the terminally ill; and to promote the Oregon law as a model for other states.
Click here to review our most current IRS 501(c)3 Tax Form 990.
Click here to review our most current IRS 501(c)4 Tax Form 990.
Click here to view our 2007 Annual Report
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Defend dignity. Take action.
For more than 14 years, the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC), a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Leaders in our organization originally wrote and have continued advocating for the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. DDNC has met these challenges through extensive legal defense of the Oregon law, education and outreach programs, and by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: to ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as a leader in the death with dignity movement.
Your donation today will enable us to continue to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity. Please click here to give a secure, online donation. Thank you.
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Washington: Yes on 1000
For two years, our highest organizational priority has been securing passage of the Washington Death with Dignity Act through the voter initiative process.
Our generous donors have helped us provide the campaign with over $300,000 in seed money and we have pledged to raise an additional $650,000 for the campaign. We were an instrumental part of the team that devised the campaign structure, and we will continue to provide political strategy and legal expertise throughout the campaign.
Read on for an insider's analysis of the Washington campaign.
About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon Death with Dignity Act -- a national catalyst for openly discussing and actively reforming end-of-life care for those who are terminally ill.
Learn more about the National Center and our family of organizations.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Based on this commitment, we are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
In our Research Center you will find frequently asked questions, the history of the death with dignity movement, state monitoring statistics, and a copy of this groundbreaking statute.
