Journal Articles



This section lists a selection of scholarly journal articles and book reviews related to end-of-life care and the death with dignity movement, written by respected legal and medical specialists. E-mail us to suggest a journal article.

The New England Journal of Medicine
Congress, Controlled Substances, and Physician-Assisted Suicide — Elephants in Mouseholes, George J. Annas, J.D., M.P.H. Vol. 354, No. 10, pp. 1079-1084, March 9, 2006.

The Journal of American Medicine
Book Review of "Ending Life: Ethics and the Way We Die" (Margaret P. Battin, author), Review by Laura Purdy, PhD, Wells College (Aurora, NY), 830 JAMA, February 15, 2006—Vol 295, No. 7 (Reprinted) ©2006 American Medical Association.

The New England Journal of Medicine
"The Big Chill: Inserting the DEA Into End-Of-Life Care," Timothy E. Quill, M.D., and Diane E. Meier, M.D. Vol. 354, No. 1, January 5, 2006.

Hastings Report
"Hastings Center Charts New Course for Dying Patients During Congressional Briefing: Hastings Center's research says new laws aren't needed and urges shift from treating patients in isolation to embracing patients' and families' collective needs," The Hastings Center, 12/7/2005. Electronic copies of "Improving End-of-Life Care: Why Has It Been So Difficult?" and of the executive summary of the report are available free.

Medical News Today (Public Health News)
Improving the Transition to End-of-Life Care, New book by New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell's Dr. Joseph Fins Helps Clinicians, Patients, and Family Members Make the Transition, November 20, 2005.

American Medical Student Association
"Physician-Assisted Suicide: For and Against," Andrew D. Boyd, University of Texas, Southwestern at Dallas. November 14, 2005.

Medical-Surgical Nursing Journal
"Assisted Suicide and Nursing Ethics," (Ethics, Law and Policy), Michele M. Mathes. Jannetti Publications, Inc., vol. 13, August 2004.

The New England Journal of Medicine
"Death by Voluntray Dehydration -- What the Caregivers Say," Sandra Jacobs, July 24, 2004.

The New England Journal of Medicine
"Dying and Decision Making -- Evolution of End-of-Life Options," Timothy E. Quill, MD. Vol. 350, April 22, 2004.

Archive of Internal Medicine
"Characteristics of Patients Requesting and Receiving Physician-Assisted Death," Diane E. Meier, MD; Carol-Ann Emmons, PhD; Ann Litke, MA; Sylvan Wallenstein, PhD; R. Sean Morrison, MD. Vol. 163, July 14, 2003.

Oregon Health Sciences University
"Interest in Assisted Suicide Among Oregon Cancer Patients," Linda Ganzini, MD, MPH; Tomasz M. Beer, MD; Matthew Brouns, MD. April 2003.

Oregon Health Sciences University
"Oregon Physicians' Perceptions of Patients Who Request Assisted Suicide and Their Families," Linda Ganzini, MD; Steven K. Dobscha, MD; Ronald T. Heintz, MD; Nancy Press, PhD. September 25, 2002.

The New England Journal of Medicine
"Experience of Oregon Nurses and Social Workers with Hospice Patients Who Request Assistance with Suicide," Linda Ganzini, MD; Theresa A. Harvath, RN, PhD; Ann Jackson, MBA; Elizabeth R. Goy, PhD; Lois L. Miller, PhD, RN; Molly A. Delorit, BA. Vol. 347, No. 8, August 22, 2002.

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Bachman, Jerald G, Ph.D., et al, "Attitudes of Michigan Physicians and the Public Toward Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide and Voluntary Euthanasia," New England Journal of Medicine, 334, No. 5, pp. 303-309.

Back, Anthony, et al, "Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in Washington State: Patient Requests and Physician Responses," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 275, No. 12, March 27, 1996, pp. 919-925. This is an important survey of physician attitudes inWashington. Of particular importance is the data on the number of Washington physicians who have received requests for assistance in dying and the number who have complied. The conclusion that "Patient requests for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are not rare" has jolted many in the health care field to reexamine their assumptions about how people die in America.

Ganzini, Linda, et al. "Oregon Physicians' Attitudes About and Experiences With End-of-Life Care Since Passage of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 285, No. 18, May 9, 2001, pp. 2363-2369.

Ganzini, Linda, et al. "Attitudes of Oregon Psychiatrists Toward Physician-Assisted Suicide," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 153, No. 11, November 1996, pp.1469-1475.

Hastings Center Report, Vol. 25, No. 3, May-June, 1995. This issue of the Hastings Center Report is dedicated to the physician-assisted suicide debate.

Lee, Melinda, et al. "Legalizing Assisted Suicide--Views of Physicians in Oregon," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 334, No. 5, Feb. 1, 1996, pp. 310-315. This is an important survey of physician attitudes in Oregon.

Meier, Diane, et al. "A National Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 338, No. 17, April 23, 1998, pp.1193-1201. Physicians report the extent to which they receive and honor requests to assist patients.

Meisel, Alan, et al. "Seven Legal Barriers to End-of-Life Care: Myths, Realities, and Grains of Truth," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 284, No. 19, November 15, 2000, pp. 2495-2501.

Orentlicher, David and Arthur Caplan. "The Pain Relief Promotion Act of 1999: A Serious Threat to Palliative Care," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 283, No. 2, January 12, 2000, pp. 255-258. Orentlicher and Caplan discuss the threats to quality end-of-life care posed by the enactment of the PRPA.

Orentlicher, David. "Sounding Board: The Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 335, No. 9, August 29, 1996, pp. 663-667. This article contains an extremely important argument in defense of the Second Circuit Court's ruling in Quill v. State of New York.

Schmidt, Terri A., et al. "Oregon Emergency Physicians' Experiences with, Attitudes Toward, and Concerns about Physician-Assisted Suicide," Academic Emergency Medicine, Vol. 3, No. 10, October 1996, pp.938-945.

Slome, Lee R., et al. "Physician-Assisted Suicide and Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 336, No. 6, February 6, 1997, pp. 417-421.

Sullivan, Amy D., et al. "Legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon, 1998-2000," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 344, No. 8, February 22, 2001, pp. 605-607.

Sullivan, Mark D. and Stuart J. Younger. "Depression, Competence, and the Right to Refuse Life-Saving Treatment," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 151, No. 7, July 1994, pp. 971-978.

Additional journal articles are available through Longwood University's Greenwood Library.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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