Oregon Assisted Suicide Now An Option For Out-Of-State Residents
Oregon will no longer require state residency in order for a terminally ill patient to receive a medically assisted suicide. On March 29, 2022, a settlement was filed in a U.S. District Court in Portland, which stated that the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing the residency requirement and has asked Oregon Legislature to remove the requirement from the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. They determined the residency requirement was both discriminatory and profoundly unfair to dying patients at the most critical time of their life.
Physician-assisted suicide is legal in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Oregon is the only state that has removed residency requirements. As of February 2022, 2,159 people have died in the state of Oregon as a result of medically assisted suicides. While the residency requirement has been lifted, there are still other requirements that remain in place. To request a prescription for lethal medications, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act requires that a patient voluntarily expresses his/her wish to die and be:
- An adult (age 18 or older),
- Capable (able to make and communicate health care decisions), and
- Diagnosed with a terminal illness (incurable and irreversible) that will lead to death within six months.