National Data on Assisted Suicide
When it comes to American’s opinions on doctor-assistive suicide, survey data have shown that Americans’ belief in the morality of the practice has decreased.
Identical studies done in 2016 and 2025 by the Lifeway Research on doctor-assisted suicide found that Americans’ support for the practice has been decreasing.
Respondents were asked if they agree that it is morally acceptable for a terminally ill person to seek physician-assisted suicide. In 2016, 67% of Americans agreed it is with 31% saying they strongly agree. In 2025, only 51% of Americans agreed with 21% saying they strongly agree.
Respondents were also asked if they believed that physicians should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in taking their own life. In 2016, 69% of Americans agreed with 32% saying they strongly agree. In 2025, only 55% of Americans agreed with 25% saying they strongly agree.
Similarly, a 2024 Gallup poll found that only a only a “slim majority” of Americans believe that doctor-assistive suicide is morally acceptable with 53% of Americans believing doctor-assistive suicide is morally acceptable, compared to 40% who believe it is morally wrong.
Legalization by State
As of October 2025, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized assisted suicide, one state has legalized the practice but it has not taken effect yet, and one state has passed a bill in the legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
For the states that have legalized assisted suicide, we have seen an increase in the number of victims; we have also seen an increase in the removal of a number of safeguards designed to protect vulnerable populations and prevent unnecessary death.
California
Origin
Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed the California End of Life Option Act into law on October 5, 2015; it went into effect June 9, 2016.
Victims
According to the California Department of Public Health, between 2016 and 2024 a total of 8,242 people received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 5,423 people ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
In January 2022, SB 380 went into effect. The law reduced the waiting period between oral requests for medication from 15 days to 48 hours. It also removed the requirement for the patient to state a final attestation before receiving the medication.
The original 2016 law placed a provision that would allow it to expire in the year 2031. In 2025, California State Senator Catherine Blakespear introduced SB 403 in the California legislature which would remove the expiration provision, thus making Medical Aid in Dying permanent in California. The bill was passed in the state assembly and senate in September 2025 and was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 3.
In February 2025, Blakespear introduced another proposal that would expand assisted suicide to anyone to non-terminally ill patients who had a “grievous and irremediable medical condition.” She withdrew the bill in April 2025.
Results
As a result of the passage of SB 380, California saw a massive spike in patients receiving end of life prescriptions. California public health data shows that between 2021 and 2022, the number of prescriptions written spiked from 863 to 1,204. Of the 1,204, roughly 78% of patients waited less than 15 days for the medication. As a result, the number of deaths significantly increased during this time period from 522 to 853.
Colorado
Origin
In 2016, Colorado voters approved Proposition 106 which allowed for the legalization of Medical Aid in Dying in Colorado. (64.87% of voters approved of the proposition)
Victims
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, between 2017 and 2024 a total of 1,995 people had received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. (Note: Colorado does not keep track of the number of patients who died after ingesting the drugs.)
Legal Changes
On June 5, 2024, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed SB 24-068 into law. The law gets rid of safeguards in the original bill. These include:
- Reducing the waiting period for a prescription from 15 days to 7 days.
- Allowing a physician to waive the waiting period requirement if it is determined that a patient has less than 48 hours to live.
- Permitting a registered nurse to evaluate a patient’s status and prescribe the life-ending medication.
In May 2025, a federal lawsuit was filed by several advocacy groups claiming that Colorado’s residency requirement for medical aid in dying was unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jeff McComas, a Minnesota resident who is suffering from terminal cancer and is seeking to participate in Colorado’s Medical Aid in Dying program, but is unable to because he does not live in the state. As of October 2025, the lawsuit is pending in the courts.
Negative Results
The 2024 change to the law has led to a significant increase in patient prescriptions than in previous years. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of patients being prescribed life-ending medication increased from 317 to 398; between 2023 and 2024, the number increased from 398 to 510.
District of Columbia
Origin
The District of Columbia Death with Dignity Act of 2016 was signed December 19, 2016 and took effect February 18, 2017.
Victims
According to the DC Department of Health, between 2019 and 2022 a total of 31 patients received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 23 ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
As of October 2025, no changes to the current law have been proposed or enacted.
Results
Since the law went into effect there have been no reports of patients or physicians misusing the law to allow for easier access to death.
Hawaii
Origin
Governor David Ige (D) signed the Our Care, Our Choice Act into law April 5, 2018 which took effect January 1, 2019.
Victims
According to the Hawaii Department of Health, between 2019 and 2024 a total of 361 patients received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 195 ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
On June 2, 2023 Governor Josh Green (D), a physician, signed a bill amending the Our Care, Our Choice Act of 2019. The amendments included:
- Enabling advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to act as attending, consulting or counseling providers.
- Allowing licensed marriage and family therapists to be listed as counseling providers.
- Shortening the waiting period for obtaining a fatal prescription from 20 days from the initial request to 5 days. (The waiting period can be shortened to 48 hours if it’s determined that the patient is unlikely to live past 5 days.)
Results
In 2025, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Honolulu police “opened a second-degree murder investigation after a doctor allegedly administer[ed] a lethal prescription dose to an 88-year-old woman in violation of Hawaii’s assisted death law.” Police allege the doctor failed to follow the rule which states that only the patient may administer the dosage. The report also mentions that “at one point [the patient] motioned for the doctor to stop, but he continued to administer the prescription.”
Maine
Origin
Governor Janet Mills (D) signed into law the Maine Death with Dignity Act June 12, 2019.
Victims
Between 2019 to 2024, a total of 318 patients received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 218 people ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
On June 25, 2025, Governor Mills signed into law a bill that expands the Death With Dignity law to allow a physician to waive the waiting period for a patient to receive life-ending drugs.
Results
Since the law went into effect in 2021, there have been no reports of patients or physicians misusing the law to allow for easier access to death.
Montana
Origin
In 2009, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in Baxter v. Montana that the state constitution does not prohibit medical aid in dying (MAID). It also ruled that physicians who act on a patient’s wishes to end their own life cannot be criminally penalized. While the ruling allowed for the practice, the state legislature has not passed a law that officially legalizes it.
Victims
Because there is no official state law, statistics regarding the total number of victims have not been recorded.
Legal Changes
Since the 2009 Supreme Court ruling, several bills have been introduced in the Montana State legislature seeking to both legalize and prohibit MAID. However, none of them have been successful:
- In 2011, 2013, and 2015, bills were introduced in the Montana senate seeking to implement Baxter v. Montana ruling into law. None of the bills passed.
- Bills were introduced in the legislature in 2017, 2019, and 2023 that would remove legal protections for physicians who prescribe life-ending medication. They all failed to pass.
- In the 2025 legislative session, HB 637 was introduced, seeking to legalize MAID. In the senate, SB 136 was introduced seeking to ban the practice. Both bills died in the legislature.
Results
During the process of debating the 2025 SB 136, State Rep. Greg Overstreet shared a near-death experience he had. Suffering from COVID and on a ventilator, doctors told him he had a slim chance of survival. He asked doctors to pull his ventilator after seven days, but extended it to two weeks after pleas from his wife. He soon made a miraculous recovery a week later. He noted that if it were not for his wife pleading him to extend the “do no resuscitate” order, he would not have survived. His experience led him to support the prohibition of MAID.
Other lawmakers have raised concerns about the implications of administering life-ending drugs to patients. State Sen. Daniel Emrich cited the potential dangerous and painful effects of the drugs used, saying, “The drug cocktails they give them contain paralytics and these, without other drugs, will make them suffocate and die.”
New Jersey
Origin
Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying Act into law April 12, 2019; it went into effect August 1, 2019.
Victims
According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, between 2019 and 2024 a total of 409 patients received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 362 ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
Every year since 2022, a bill seeking to waive the 15 day waiting period for certain patients has been introduced in the State legislature. It has failed to pass. The bill was introduced in the 2025 legislative session and is currently sitting in committee.
Attempts have been made to remove the residency requirement for New Jersey’s law. In 2023, two women—one from Pennsylvania and another from Delaware—filed a lawsuit in New Jersey District Court seeking to challenge the Medical Aid in Dying Law residency requirement. The complaint was dismissed in September 2024, but is currently being appealed.
Results
Since the law went into effect there have been no reports of patients or physicians misusing the law to allow for easier access to death.
New Mexico
Origin
New Mexico’s End of Life Option Act was signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) April 8, 2021 and took effect June 2021.
Victims
New Mexico’s Department of Health does not keep annual statistics on the number of people who have died from assisted suicide. Therefore it is unknown how many have used the practice to end their lives.
Legal Changes
As of October 2025, no changes to the current law have been proposed or implemented.
Results
Since the law went into effect in 2021, there have been no significant reports of patients or physicians misusing the law to allow for easier access to death.
Oregon
Origin
Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act (DWDA) was initially approved by Oregon voters in November 1994 by a 51-49 margin; however implementation was delayed by an injunction. The injunction was lifted in October 1997, allowing the law to take effect. A ballot measure in November 1997 sought to repeal the DWDA but was rejected by voters by a 60-40 margin.
Victims
According to the Oregon Health Authority, from 1998 to 2024, a total of 4,881 people received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 3,243 patients died by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
In July 2019, Governor Kate Brown (D) signed SB 579 giving physicians the ability to waive the 15 day waiting period for people in extreme situations.
In July 2023, Governor Tina Kotek (D) signed HB 2279, repealing the residency restriction in the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.
In February 2025, Senate Bill 1003 was introduced. The bill seeks to both allow non-physician medical professionals to provide life-ending drugs to patients and reduce the waiting period for life-ending drugs from 15 days to 7 days. It did not pass by the end of the session and died in committee.
Results
Health plans in Oregon have encouraged cancer patients to take medicine that would end their life. In 2008 64-year-old Barbara Wagner was diagnosed with lung cancer and was prescribed a treatment drug by her doctor. Her insurance company, Oregon Health Plan, refused to pay for the drug, but instead offered to cover drugs associated with medical aid in dying. That same year, Oregon resident Randy Stoup suffered the same experience when Oregon Health Plan refused to cover the chemotherapy for his prostate cancer, but offered to cover life-ending drugs.
Research published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care in 2023 analyzed the effectiveness of Oregon’s medical aid in dying program from its inception in 1997 to present day. The researchers found that safeguards put into place designed to protect patients are increasingly being ignored at the expense of non-terminally ill patients. They concluded that:
- “Since 2010, various other diagnoses have qualified [for medical aid in dying], including non-terminal illness, such as arthritis, complications from a fall, hernia, and anorexia nervosa.”
- “The length of the doctor-patient relationship reduced over time…falling from 18 weeks, on average, in 2010, to 5 weeks in 2022.”
- “[In] the first 3 years of the legislation doctors requested psychiatric assessment in an average of 28% of cases. By 2003 this had dropped to 5%, and in 2022, just 1% of participants underwent psychiatric evaluation.”
- “In the first 5 years of the legislation, nearly a third (30%) of participants were concerned about being a burden. Since 2017, this has been cited by around half of those opting for an assisted death: 46% in 2022.”
These findings indicate that medical aid in dying in Oregon has allowed for increased death of persons who are not terminally ill. It also suggests that other states that have legalized the practice could follow a similar path in the future.
There was also an instance where the life-ending drugs failed to effectively work. In 2005 a man terminally ill with cancer, David Pruiett, chose to end his life under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. After completing the legal process, he got the fatal prescription, ingested the liquid “laced with powder from 100 barbiturate pills, and fell asleep. Three days later, he woke up and asked his wife why he wasn’t dead.” He told his wife that while he was unconscious, “God had told him that his action wasn’t the way to get into heaven.” He died from lung and bone cancer two weeks later.
Vermont
Origin
On May 20, 2013, Governor Peter Shumlin (D) signed into law Vermont Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act, making Vermont the fourth state to legalize medical aid in dying.
Victims
According to the Vermont Department of Health, between 2013 and 2023 a total of 200 patients received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 146 ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
On May 2, 2023, Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed into law legislation removing the residency requirement, becoming the first state to allow nonresidents to commit assisted suicide.
In January 2025, HB 75 was introduced in the state legislature, which sought to allow non-physician professionals, such as nurse practitioners, to provide life ending drugs to patients. The bill was unsuccessful, having died in committee.
Results
Since the residency requirement was lifted in 2023, clinics and physicians have been overwhelmed by the number of out-of-state patients seeking to end their life. One physician said that it “has profoundly changed my life, our clinic function,” and “We just had a lot to learn about how to pull this off logistically.”
Washington
Origin
Washington’s Death with Dignity Act became law on March 5, 2009 after voters approved a ballot initiative in 2008. (57.8% of voters approved)
Victims
According to the Washington State Department of Health, between 2009 and 2023 a total of 3,683 people received prescriptions for life-ending drugs. Of this, 2,768 people ended their lives by ingesting the drug.
Legal Changes
In 2023, SB 5179 was introduced and passed in the Washington legislature. The law reduced safeguards in the Death With Dignity Act that sought to protect patients. These included:
- Allowing a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner to make decision on patient’s terminal status
- Allowing a non-psychiatrist social worker or other mental health counselor to give a mental health evaluation
- Removing the waiting period between requests for life-ending medication from 15 days to 7 days
- Allowing for life ending medication to be sent via mail as opposed to receiving the drugs directly from a licensed pharmacist
In 2025 Washington legislators introduced HB 1876. This would seek to further remove restrictions in the Death With Dignity Act by waiving the 7 day medication waiting period for patients who are deemed not to live longer than 7 days. As of October 2025, the bill was sitting in committee.
Results
Dr. Sharon Quick, former president of the Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation, said in 2021 that any changes made to Washington’s Death With Dignity Act regarding shortening waiting period “reflects a misunderstanding of dying physiology and palliative care capabilities while allowing injustice, especially for those with mental illness and disabilities.” She also noted that “depression is expected in 25 to 40 percent of those desiring to hasten death, yet less than 5 percent are referred for mental health counseling in Washington.”
Dr. Richard Doerflinger, associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, cites cases where failures to follow the protocols and safeguards have occurred. He notes that since 2009, 219 patients “have not filed their legally required report on the patient’s terminal illness, life expectancy, informed consent, or mental competency.” And for 264 patients, “the Department of Health never received a request for the drugs signed by the patient.”
Patients are also more and more likely to kill themselves for fear of being a burden. According to the State Health Reports, in 2009, just 23% of patients stated that the main reason they wanted to die was fear of “Burden on family, friends/caregivers.” In 2022, 59% of patients felt this way.
In addition, two states have passed legislation legalizing Medical Aid in Dying during the 2025 legislative session
Delaware
On May 20, 2025, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer (D) signed into law the “Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Law,” becoming the 11th state to officially legalize assisted suicide. The law officially goes into effect on January 1, 2026.
New York
On June 9, 2025, the New York State Legislature officially passed a bill that would legalize medical aid in dying. As of October 2025, it is awaiting the signature of Governor Kathy Hochul (D).
International
Canada
Origin
In June 2016, Canada’s Medical Aid in Dying Law was passed by the Canadian Parliament.
Victims
According to the Canadian Department of Health, between 2016 and 2023, a total of 60,301 Canadians successfully used Medical Aid in Dying to end their lives. The number of victims per year has increased dramatically since it was first passed, from 1,018 deaths in 2016 to 15,343 deaths in 2023. Statistics also showed that Medical Aid in Dying accounted for 4.7% of Canada’s death in 2023, compared to 2.0% in 2019. It is particularly concerning in the province of Quebec, where approximately 7% of deaths are attributed to Medical Aid in Dying.
Legal Changes
Several changes have been made to Canada’s Medical Aid in Dying Law that have reduced safeguards. In March 2021, Canada passed bill C-7 which amended the aforementioned law to allow terminal patients to waive their declaration of consent as well as the 10 day waiting period for medication if it is determined they have less than that time to live. It would also allow persons with non-terminal illnesses to be eligible for Medical Aid in Dying if a doctor determines that the condition is “serious and incurable.”
In March 2023, Bill C-39 was passed. This amended the Aid in Dying Law to include those suffering from mental illness as eligible for assisted suicide. The law was originally supposed to take effect on March 17, 2024, but in February 2024 the Canadian government pushed back the effective date to 2027. They cited the healthcare system’s unpreparedness in dealing with the issue of mental health, saying that the extension “would provide more time for provinces and territories to prepare their health care systems…in situations where a person’s sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.”
Results
Despite the Canadian law’s pushback of eligibility for mental illness, numerous stories have come out from patients with non-terminal conditions being offered Medical Aid in Dying by medical professionals:
- Between July and November 2022, it was revealed that at least four military veterans who contacted Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) were recommended Medical Aid in Dying as a viable medical option. In 2025, another veteran came forward claiming that he was offered the option of Medical Aid in Dying in December 2023 after calling VAC to deal with mental health issues. A 2023 VAC briefing said the number of veterans offered Medical Aid in Dying could be as high as 20.
- A report released by the Ontario Chief Coroner in October 2024 showed several instances where healthy people are using Medical Aid In Dying to take their own life. In one case, a woman who suffered from anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder was deemed eligible for MAID by medical professionals because she had trouble securing proper housing. Another case involved a man who was a quadriplegic after suffering a car accident; doctors deemed him eligible for MAID because he claimed he could not live with a disability.
- The report also shows misuse of proper protocols in dealing with potential cases. A man who had a history of bowel disease and substance abuse was recommended MAID by a psychiatrist to deal with his feelings of isolation. Without going through the proper protocol, the psychiatrist drove the man to the facility where he took part in the procedure.
Since the 2021 amendment to the law allowing non-terminal patients to participate, there has been a growing number of non-terminally ill persons who have taken their own lives. In 2021 persons without a terminal disease accounted for 2.2% of all MAID deaths; in 2023, they accounted for 4.1%.
In 2019, 34% of patients said fear of being a burden to loved ones was a reason why they wanted to participate in MAID. In 2023, 45.1% of patients felt this way.
Netherlands
Origin
The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize medical aid in dying (referred to as euthanasia) on April 1, 2002. The law stated that a person over the age of 12 who has a condition that is “unbearable, with no prospect of improvement” is eligible for euthanasia.
Victims
According to national data, between 2002 and 2023 a total of 101,751 people in the Netherlands have successfully used euthanasia to take their own lives. The number of deaths has increased every year and has significantly increased from 1,882 deaths in 2002 to 9,068 in 2023.
Legal Changes
In 2017, the Dutch government announced it would draft a law that would include elderly persons who have no illness or condition. However, as of 2025 no law has not gone into effect.
In 2020, a Dutch court ruled that those who are suffering from dementia can be eligible for euthanasia, provided the patient gives written consent while they are still cognitively functioning.
In April 2023, the Dutch government announced that children under age 12 that are suffering from a terminal illness would be allowed to participate in euthanasia.
In 2024, a bill was introduced in the Dutch parliament seeking to allow healthy persons over 75 to be eligible for euthanasia. The bill is currently being debated.
Results
In April 2024, a 33-year-old woman was allowed to end her own life after she had been struggling with depression and eating disorders. In May 2024, a 29-year-old Dutch woman was granted the right to die after suffering with severe mental illness.
In 2023, researchers in the UK studied the types of persons who are utilizing euthanasia in the Netherlands and found many cases of mental issues, particularly autism, being the main factor for a person wanting to end their life. The study looked at 39 cases of persons between 2012 and 2023 who requested euthanasia due to mental health issues. Of this, 42% cited autism as a contributing factor in their decision. Of those who cited autism, 77% cited feeling socially isolated and lonely.
There are reports of doctors not properly following the proper protocols in filling out forms for patients. According to Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, senior ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, Dutch doctors are required to “fill out a number of forms to explain the circumstances, and so on. And the doctors get tired of the forms….And what they do instead of going through the rigmarole of the paperwork, they just make a decision at a certain point to administer on their own initiative high doses of morphine and end the person’s life. Even if the person hasn’t asked for it. And then they can just say, ‘well, we were just managing pain. I don’t have to fill out all that paperwork.'”
Belgium
Origin
Belgium legalized medical aid in dying (referred to as euthanasia) on May 28, 2002, becoming the second country in the world to allow the practice. The law states that a patient who is in a “medically desperate state of persistent and unbearable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated” can request euthanasia.
Victims
According to Belgian data, between 2002 and 2023 a total of 33,580 people have taken their own life via euthanaisa. The number has dramatically increased from 236 in 2003 to 3,423 in 2023.
Legal Changes
In 2014, Belgium amended its law to allow children under 12 with terminal illnesses to request euthanasia.
In May 2025, a bill was introduced in the Belgian parliament seeking to allow those with dementia to request euthanasia. It is currently being debated.
Results
In 2014, Tom Mortier, a Belgian man, filed a lawsuit against the European Court of Human Rights after it was revealed that his mother, Godelieva De Troyer, was euthanized in 2012 while battling depression. Mortier’s lawsuit claimed that the doctor who carried out the euthanasia did not follow proper protocols and did not notify him or his family about his mother’s decision. Mortier also claimed that his mother’s mental illness was not a terminal condition. In 2022, the European Court ruled in favor of Mortier, saying that the Belgium government failed to adequately investigate the circumstances surrounding the euthanasia of De Troyer. Alliance Defending Freedom International, who represented Mr. Mortier, said this case “demonstrates the inadequacy of ‘safeguards’ for the intentional ending of life.”
In 2020 three Belgian doctors went on trial for unlawfully euthanizing a 38-year-old woman with psychological conditions, including autism. It was alleged that the mental illnesses the woman was suffering from did not meet the requirements for euthanasia. While the doctors were ultimately acquitted in court, the sisters of the victim believe that the doctors did not follow the proper protocols as stated by the law.
U.K.
In June 2025, the U.K. House of Commons passed a bill that would legalize medical aid in dying for persons who are determined to have less than 6 months to live. It is currently being debated in the House of Lords.
While it is still going through the legislative process, it is possible that the bill could become law by the end of 2025.
