The Oregon Death with Dignity Law

Four Years of Responsible Implementation

Feb. 6, 2002

Statistics released today

Embargoed until 2PM PST

Portland, OR�At 2 PM (PST) today, the Oregon Department of Human Services released their 4th Annual Report on the Death with Dignity law.� This report analyzes and summarizes the characteristics of the Oregonians who used the law in 2001.� Scott Swenson, Executive Director of Oregon Death with Dignity, the Portland-based legal defense and public education nonprofit, explained, �This report demonstrates-for the fourth consecutive year-that the law works.� Oregon�s law is the catalyst for end-of-life care reforms.� The federal government should not mess with Oregon�s success.��

Some of the report�s findings include:

  • 21 patients used the law in 2001 (6 fewer than the previous 2 years and less than one-tenth of one percent of all deaths in Oregon in 2001)
  • 44 prescriptions were written by 33 physicians
  • The 21 Oregonians were demographically similar to those who used the law in previous years
  • Cancer was the most common underlying illness
  • Loss of autonomy and a diminished ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable, were the two most frequently cited end-of-life concerns
  • Most patients were able to die at home.

According to state epidemiologist Dr. Katrina Hedberg, death with dignity, though a rarely chosen end-of-life option is a crucial element and source of insight in the national discussion on end-of-life care.�

For more information on this report, contact�Dr. Hedberg at the Oregon Department of Human Services: (503) 731.4273.

For up-to-the minute information on the Oregon death with Dignity law, its requirements, end-of-life care, and the ramifications of federal intrusion, please visit us on the web at www.dwd.org.

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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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Political Action Fund

The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states. The partnership resulted in tremendous success with the resounding win in the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity campaign.

Learn more about the Fund's efforts to bring dignity to people around the nation.

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.

Access resources for patients and families.

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.

Dive into the archives of the National Center.