Oregon Death with Dignity Act

Title: Oregon Death with Dignity Act
Date: 1994-1997
Description: Oregon voters approved the Death with Dignity Act in 1994. Litigation delayed implementation, and voters rejected a repeal measure in 1997, after which the statutory framework took effect.
ABP identifier: ABP-E-0018
Historical significance: Moved debates over assisted dying into an implemented legal and clinical framework in a U.S. jurisdiction.
Intellectual stream: Law & public policy; Clinical ethics & professionalism
Verification status: Verified
Evidence confidence: High
Historical role: Early U.S. statutory framework permitting physician-assisted dying under specified conditions.
Open question: How should later state laws and empirical evidence about implementation be connected to this originating state-level policy experiment?