Death with Dignity in Other States and Other Countries

Oregon was not the first state to vote on a ballot measure to legalize physicianassisted suicide. Nor would it be the last by the end of the century. While Oregon’s success emboldened reformers in other states, the usual route to possible legalization was legislative. Between 1994 and 2000, at least fourteen American states entertained the possible legalization of physician-assisted suicide, some more seriously than others, and some on multiple occasions.