washington

Data and the Case for Death with Dignity Laws

Posted by Melissa Barber on July 22, 2010

As the debate over physician-assisted death heats up worldwide, I have been pleased to hear the 12 years of data from Oregon's Death with Dignity Act mentioned when people make the case for clear and concise Death with Dignity laws with appropriate safeguards. In the UK recently, Oregon's voter-approved law was cited multiple times during The Royal Society of Medicine's conference on hastened death. And for good reason.

As Lord Joffe, a member of The Royal Society of Medicine, argued, "[Oregon’s law] has only led to about 0.2%, which is 60 deaths out of 30,000 deaths in Oregon each year. There's been no slippery slope or any proposal to extend the legislation to include voluntary euthanasia. Palliative care has not been undermined but has flourished. And there's no credible evidence of abuse of any vulnerable members of society. This is after 12 years." By comparison, accidents account for 1,200 per 30,000 deaths in Oregon each year.

Read more: Data and the Case for Death with Dignity Laws

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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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