Assisted Suicide Laws in Oregon and Washington: What Safeguards?

Oregon’s law allowing doctors to prescribe lethal overdoses for some patients’ suicides was first approved in 1994; after a court challenge it took effect late in 1997. Supporters later modeled Washington’s 2008 law on Oregon’s law, saying that its safe guards are operating well and have prevented abuse. In fact, the data suggest that the “safeguards” are largely meaningless, and the death toll in both states has greatly increased over the years.

Assisted Suicide Laws in Oregon and Washington: What Safeguards? (December 2022)