On March 27, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released new statistics about assisted suicide in the state. In 2024, 607 people were given prescriptions for lethal substances, which is an increase from 561 in 2023. By January 25, 2025, the OHA had reports of 376 deaths in 2024 due to the use of these prescribed substances, a slight decrease from 386 deaths noted in 2023. Among those who passed away in 2024, 43 had received prescriptions in previous years, and 23 patients lived for over six months after getting their prescriptions. The OHA did not refer any cases to the Oregon Medical Board.
Many patients expressed feelings of “loss of dignity,” and some had financial concerns regarding their treatment. Cancer was the most common illness among those who died, with 57% suffering from it. Like in previous years, the top three concerns for these patients at the end of their lives were loss of independence (89%), reduced ability to enjoy life (88%), and loss of dignity (64%). Additionally, 42% felt they were a “burden” to their family or caregivers, and 9.3% mentioned financial implications of their treatment. Only 34% expressed concerns about inadequate pain control.
Only three patients underwent psychological evaluations, while 337 informed their families about their decisions.
Since the law allowing assisted suicide was enacted in 1997, a total of 4,881 people have received prescriptions, and 66% (3,243 individuals) have died as a result. Assisted suicides accounted for 0.9% of all deaths in Oregon in 2024. In 2023, the law was changed to remove the residency requirement, and in 2024, 4% of prescriptions were given to people living outside the state.
Since 2020, the law has allowed for a “waiver” of waiting periods for patients expected to live less than 15 days after their initial request. In 2024, 179 patients, or 29% of those who received prescriptions, were granted such waivers. For others, the waiting period varied from 1 to 727 days, with a median of 25 days.
There have been reports of “complications” in a few cases. Data shows that the time from ingestion of the prescribed substance to death varied significantly, from 7 minutes to 26 hours, with a median time of 53 minutes. Complications were noted in only 9 cases, including difficulty swallowing or regurgitation in 7 instances, seizures in another, and one unspecified complication.
The number of doctors writing lethal prescriptions dropped in 2024, going from 168 in 2023 to 135. On average, these doctors knew their patients for about 5 weeks before they requested assisted suicide, although there were cases where there was no prior doctor-patient relationship. Overall, 55% of those who received prescriptions in 2024 died by assisted suicide that same year, while 15% died from other causes, and information was missing for 178 patients.
This article has been translated and simplified by artificial intelligence from a French article “Suicide assisté dans l’Oregon : des patients inquiets des « implications financières de leur traitement »”
It may therefore contain errors. The French version is the reference version..