Oregon's guidelines for physician-assisted suicide

Abstract

Oregon's Death With Dignity Act was first passed by a ballot initiative in 1993, but numerous judicial challenges delayed implementation of the Act. This led to two momentous Supreme Court decisions, /Vacco v. Quill/, and /Washington v. Glucksberg/, ruling that states have the power to regulate physician-assisted suicide. Oregon voters upheld the ballot initiative, and this state became the first in the nation to authorize this practice. A state Task Force convened to publish a Guidebook to assist health care professionals in this area, and the preeminent New England Journal of Medicine issued a special report on this law. The author analyzes the legal context of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act, and discusses the efficacy of the tenets featured in the Guidebook. Further, the author explores ethical issues underlying the Guidelines, particularly those pertaining to the meaning of a patient's request for assisted suicide.