New report shows decrease in deaths from Oregon's "Death with Dignity" act

(APRIL 3, 2025) A new report from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) provides data on the state's Death with Dignity Act for the year 2024. This law allows terminally ill adults to obtain a prescription for medication to end their lives under specific circumstances. The report details the characteristics of patients and physicians who participated in the Act, as well as trends over time.

In 2024, 607 people received prescriptions under the Death with Dignity Act. This was an increase from the 561 prescriptions reported in 2023. However, the number of deaths was 376 in 2024. This was a slight decrease from the 386 deaths in 2023. This number of deaths in 2024 includes 43 individuals who received their prescriptions in previous years. Since the law's implementation in 1997, a total of 4,881 people have received prescriptions, and 3,243 have died from ingesting the medication. In 2024, these deaths accounted for an estimated 0.9% of all deaths in Oregon.

The demographic profile of individuals utilizing the Death with Dignity Act in 2024 remained largely consistent with prior years. The majority of patients who died were white (92%) and 65 years of age or older (83%). The median age was 75. The most common underlying diagnoses were cancer (57%), followed by neurological disease (15%), and heart disease (11%). Most patients chose to die in their own homes (83%) and were enrolled in hospice care (92%). The primary end-of-life concerns reported by these patients included loss of autonomy (89%), a decreasing ability to participate in enjoyable activities (88%), and loss of dignity (64%).

The Oregon Health Authority is mandated to collect and report this data annually to ensure compliance with the Death with Dignity Act. In 2023, the Act was amended to remove the residency requirement. In 2024, 23 prescription recipients (4%) lived outside of Oregon. This was a slight decrease from 29 (5%) in 2023.