Oregon Death with Dignity Act - 30 Years Later

It was 30 years ago that the Oregon Death with Dignity Act appeared on the 200-page Voter Pamphlet. The Guardian takes a look back on how attitudes have changed since 1994.    

To date, U.S. clinicians in 11 states have written more than 16,000 MAID prescriptions. Because many MAID patients never experience the physical or existential suffering they feared, only 11,000 patients ingested those prescriptions. 

U.S. clinicians write about 200 MAID prescriptions each month. That comprises less than 1% of all deaths. And most of the remaining deaths in both the 11 MAID states and all other U.S. states similarly result from deliberate patient choices that hasten death.