Releases

Feb. 26, 2009 Death with Dignity Must Be Made Available in All 50 States
March 8, 2007 Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act Shows Law Continues Providing Support for Dying Patients
Jan. 17, 2006 The Supreme Court today ruled 6 to 3 in favor of the people of Oregon
Jan. 17, 2006 Today's Teleconference on the Supreme Court Ruling
Jan. 10, 2006 Death with Dignity National Center Teleconference to Provide Expert Commentary on the Gonzales v. Oregon Supreme Court Ruling
Jan. 4, 2006 New England Journal of Medicine Commentary
Nov. 21, 2005 Oregon Death with Dignity Act Statistics 1998 through 2004
Oct. 18, 2005 Gonzales v. Oregon Public Information Kit
Oct. 1, 2005 U.S. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR PHYSICIAN ASSISTED DYING CASE ON OCTOBER 5th
Aug. 22, 2005 Death with Dignity National Center Names New Executive Director
July 25, 2005 Supreme Court Sets Hearing Date
March 31, 2005 DDNC Position on the Terry Schiavo Case
March 10, 2005 Oregon's Death with Dignity Law Seventh Year of Stats Released Today
Feb. 22, 2005 DWD Law under Fire
Nov. 9, 2004 Ashcroft Appeals Oregon's DWD Law to the U.S. Supreme Court
Aug. 31, 2004 TEN YEARS OF DIGNITY CONFERENCE
Aug. 20, 2004 New Study on Death with Dignity Law Counters Opponents' Case
Aug. 16, 2004 Death with Dignity Gets Vote of Confidence from Ninth Circuit Court
July 12, 2004 Oregon v. Ashcroft: DOJ Appeals Ninth Circuit Ruling
May 26, 2004 Ninth Circuit Sides with Oregon: Death with Dignity Movement Prevails
May 7, 2004 Death with Dignity Law: Still Awaiting Ninth Circuit Ruling
March 10, 2004 Sixth Year Stats for Death with Dignity Law Again Demonstrate Responsible Implementation, Modest Use
Aug. 4, 2003 Death with Dignity National Center & Oregon Death with Dignity Join Forces to Promote Choice
July 18, 2003 ODWD Demands Attorney General Ashcroft Stop Terrorizing Dying People - During Portland Visit
May 7, 2003 Death with Dignity in Court Today
May 5, 2003 Oregon v. Ashcroft
May 1, 2003 Oregon v. Ashcroft: Round 2 Begins
March 5, 2003 FIVE YEARS OF THE OREGON DEATH WITH DIGNITY LAW - WHAT WE'VE LEARNED
Oct. 23, 2002 Oregon Death with Dignity Commemorates the Law's 5th Anniversary
Oct. 22, 2002 Gordon Smith, Not a Poll-Taking Politician?
Oct. 17, 2002 Smith and Mannix Respond to WWW.3PEASINAPOD.ORG Campaign
Oct. 14, 2002 Oregon Death with Dignity asks Smith & Mannix to Stop Deceiving Oregonians
Oct. 11, 2002 Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund
Aug. 22, 2002 Oregon: Superior End-of-Life Care and Patient Control Spotlighted in the New England Journal of Medicine
July 3, 2002 Communicating End-of-Life Decisions
May 28, 2002 Oregon v. Ashcroft: Appeal a Waste of Time and Tax Dollars
April 17, 2002 Death with Dignity Wins Another Historic Court Battle
April 16, 2002 Oregon Death with Dignity, Death with Dignity National Center, Compassion in Dying & Autonomy
April 8, 2002 Ten Days and Counting Until Court Ruling
March 22, 2002 In Court: Oregon v. Ashcroft
March 20, 2002 Oregon v. Ashcroft: Opening Arguments Begin
March 7, 2002 Ashcroft Filing Called
Feb. 28, 2002 BACKOFFJOHN.com Launches to Combat Ashcroft's Attacks on States' Rights
Feb. 6, 2002 The Oregon Death with Dignity Law
Feb. 5, 2002 Death with Dignity Law
Jan. 22, 2002 Oregon Death with Dignity Attorney Asserts Ashcroft in Violation of Executive Order on Federalism
Jan. 9, 2002 New Poll Underscores National Support for Oregon's Law
Nov. 20, 2001 ARGUMENTS ON BEHALF OF PHYSICIANS AND PHARMACISTS BEFORE JUDGE JONES IN State of Oregon v. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
Nov. 16, 2001 Oregon Death with Dignity Center Holds Audio News Conference
Nov. 8, 2001 OREGON DEATH WITH DIGNITY ONCE AGAINS LEADS CHARGE
Nov. 7, 2001 ATTORNEY GENERAL HARDY MYERS APPLAUDED
Nov. 6, 2001 OREGON DEATH WITH DIGNITY CENTER READY TO PROTECT THE HARD WON RIGHTS OF OREGON CITIZENS

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.