In the United States, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized physician-assisted dying, a practice still not permitted federally. Oregon was the first to enact such legislation with its Death With Dignity Act. Approved by voters in 1994, the law took effect three years later, allowing physicians to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill, mentally competent adults with a life expectancy of six months or less.
Since Oregon's pioneering law, lawmakers in other states have adopted similar measures. Following Oregon's model, a dozen more states have legalized assisted dying in some form. These include Washington, Montana, Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, Delaware, Illinois, and New York.
New York's law is set to take effect on August 5, and Illinois' law will become operational on September 12. The trend toward state-level legalization means that over 300 million people globally now live in areas where assisted dying is legally accessible.