Legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon — The First Year's Experience

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 340; no. 7; pp. 577 - 583
• Main Authors: Chin, Arthur E, Hedberg, Katrina, Higginson, Grant K, Fleming, David W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 18.02.1999
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Analysis. Health state; Assisted suicide; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Control Groups; Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Hospice care; Humans; Insurance Coverage; Insurance, Health; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Oregon; Patients; Personal Autonomy; Physicians; Physicians - psychology; Prescriptions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Refusal to Treat - statistics & numerical data; Reporting requirements; Socioeconomic Factors; State laws; Suicide, Assisted - economics; Suicide, Assisted - legislation & jurisprudence; Suicide, Assisted - statistics & numerical data; Terminally Ill - psychology; Terminally Ill - statistics & numerical data; Oregon; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Human; Evaluation; Questionnaire; Health staff; Death certificate; Physician; Assisted suicide; Epidemiology; Public health; Euthanasia; Empirical Approach; Death with Dignity Act (Oregon); Death and Euthanasia
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199902183400724

On October 27, 1997, Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide. 1 Although there have been many studies of physician-assisted suicide, there are no data on the experiences of patients and physicians when the practice is legal. 2 – 8 Physician-assisted suicide is practiced in the Netherlands but is subject to criminal prosecution, even though such prosecutions are rare. We report on the first year of experience with legalized physician-assisted suicide in Oregon. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill state residents to receive prescriptions for self-administered lethal medications from their physicians. 1 It does not permit euthanasia, in which a physician or other person . . .