Physicians in Oregon wrote 607 DWDA prescriptions in 2024, compared with 561 in 2023. 376 individuals are known to have died after consuming the drugs last year, compared with 386 in 2023. 43 of those who died in 2024 had been prescribed the lethal drugs in a previous year.

23 patients who died after consuming lethal medications in 2024 had reportedly “outlived their prognosis – that is, lived more than six months after receiving their prescription,” according to the OHA report. 83% of those who died from Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide drugs last year were over the age of 65, and 57% had cancer, down from 66% last year. 22 people who died in 2024 after ingesting lethal drugs were from a state other than Oregon, a development made possible by Democrat Governor Tina Kotek’s 2023 removal of the state’s residency requirement.

Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson called the data “devastating” in a Thursday press release.

“Once again, Oregon’s assisted suicide report shows a devastating increase in lethal prescriptions for Oregon residents and people from other states,” Anderson said. “Legal assisted suicide sends a harsh message that our state believes some lives – especially the elderly, disabled, and medically complex – are less worth living. Real dignity and compassion is shown in love, care, and support – not in offering death as a solution.”

Only three patients were referred for psychological or psychiatric evaluation, according to the report, consistent with numbers typically reported in the annual OHA documents.

“The radically low number of reported psychological and psychiatric evaluations continues and is deeply concerning,” Anderson said in the press statement. “No matter their age or condition, a patient’s request for suicide should always trigger a thorough mental health analysis. Failure to provide this basic support for vulnerable patients is unconscionable.”

READ: UK lawmaker removes key safeguard from assisted suicide bill, sparking backlash

Dr. Angela Plowhead, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist who specializes in cognitive and decision-making capacity assessment, told Oregon Right to Life in a phone interview last month that mood disorders are common among people who are diagnosed with terminal diseases and may trigger suicidal ideation. She said there should be “a pretty significant evaluation” for mental health and potential mood disorders when a person expresses a desire for assisted suicide.

For Dr. Plowhead, Oregon providers should focus on assessing and treating mental health disorders “in a way that gives people hope,” rather than offering death as a solution.

Under Oregon’s “Death With Dignity” law, patients must be 18 or older, “capable of making and communicating health care decisions to health care practitioners,” and be “diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months.” Oregon Health Authority has confirmed that patients would qualify for assisted suicide if their condition would, “absent further treatment,” lead to death within six months. In practice, if patients with chronic conditions decide to opt out of continued treatment, they can qualify for assisted suicide under the law.

Jessica Rodgers, Coalitions Director for Patients Rights Action Fund, highlighted the broad practical criteria of the DWDA during a recent legislative hearing, noting that “conditions here in Oregon like anorexia and diabetes qualify for physician-assisted suicide.”

And deaths under Oregon’s assisted suicide program have risen year over year.

In 2023, Oregon saw a sharp 30% increase in DWDA prescriptions and a 20% increase in associated deaths. The increase has been partially linked to the removal of Oregon’s residency requirement, allowing people from any state to travel to Oregon for a lethal prescription.

Even as prescriptions and deaths continue to rise in Oregon, some are seeking to expand it even further.

This year, during Oregon’s 83rd legislative session, lawmakers are considering a bill that would drastically lower existing guardrails around the law.

Senate Bill 1003 would reduce the 15-day waiting period to a mere 48 hours; allow non-physicians to prescribe lethal medication; and force health care facilities to publicly disclose their participation in assisted suicide, making it easier to funnel patients toward pro-assisted suicide facilities.

Pro-life advocates have come out strongly against the bill, sending over 700 emails to lawmakers, submitting 174 written pieces of testimony, delivering live testimonies, and appearing at the Capitol in the dozens to demonstrate opposition to further expansions of assisted suicide….

Read entire article at Oregon Right to Life.

Editor’s Note: This article was authored by Ashley Sadler and published at Oregon Right to Life. It is reprinted here with permission.

23 patients who died after consuming lethal medications in 2024 had reportedly “outlived their prognosis – that is, lived more than six months after receiving their prescription,” according to the OHA report. 83% of those who died from Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide drugs last year were over the age of 65, and 57% had cancer, down from 66% last year. 22 people who died in 2024 after ingesting lethal drugs were from a state other than Oregon, a development made possible by Democrat Governor Tina Kotek’s 2023 removal of the state’s residency requirement.

Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson called the data “devastating” in a Thursday press release.

“Once again, Oregon’s assisted suicide report shows a devastating increase in lethal prescriptions for Oregon residents and people from other states,” Anderson said. “Legal assisted suicide sends a harsh message that our state believes some lives – especially the elderly, disabled, and medically complex – are less worth living. Real dignity and compassion is shown in love, care, and support – not in offering death as a solution.”

Only three patients were referred for psychological or psychiatric evaluation, according to the report, consistent with numbers typically reported in the annual OHA documents.

“The radically low number of reported psychological and psychiatric evaluations continues and is deeply concerning,” Anderson said in the press statement. “No matter their age or condition, a patient’s request for suicide should always trigger a thorough mental health analysis. Failure to provide this basic support for vulnerable patients is unconscionable.”

READ: UK lawmaker removes key safeguard from assisted suicide bill, sparking backlash

Dr. Angela Plowhead, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist who specializes in cognitive and decision-making capacity assessment, told Oregon Right to Life in a phone interview last month that mood disorders are common among people who are diagnosed with terminal diseases and may trigger suicidal ideation. She said there should be “a pretty significant evaluation” for mental health and potential mood disorders when a person expresses a desire for assisted suicide.

For Dr. Plowhead, Oregon providers should focus on assessing and treating mental health disorders “in a way that gives people hope,” rather than offering death as a solution.

Under Oregon’s “Death With Dignity” law, patients must be 18 or older, “capable of making and communicating health care decisions to health care practitioners,” and be “diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six months.” Oregon Health Authority has confirmed that patients would qualify for assisted suicide if their condition would, “absent further treatment,” lead to death within six months. In practice, if patients with chronic conditions decide to opt out of continued treatment, they can qualify for assisted suicide under the law.

Jessica Rodgers, Coalitions Director for Patients Rights Action Fund, highlighted the broad practical criteria of the DWDA during a recent legislative hearing, noting that “conditions here in Oregon like anorexia and diabetes qualify for physician-assisted suicide.”

And deaths under Oregon’s assisted suicide program have risen year over year.

In 2023, Oregon saw a sharp 30% increase in DWDA prescriptions and a 20% increase in associated deaths. The increase has been partially linked to the removal of Oregon’s residency requirement, allowing people from any state to travel to Oregon for a lethal prescription.

Even as prescriptions and deaths continue to rise in Oregon, some are seeking to expand it even further.

This year, during Oregon’s 83rd legislative session, lawmakers are considering a bill that would drastically lower existing guardrails around the law.

Senate Bill 1003 would reduce the 15-day waiting period to a mere 48 hours; allow non-physicians to prescribe lethal medication; and force health care facilities to publicly disclose their participation in assisted suicide, making it easier to funnel patients toward pro-assisted suicide facilities.

Pro-life advocates have come out strongly against the bill, sending over 700 emails to lawmakers, submitting 174 written pieces of testimony, delivering live testimonies, and appearing at the Capitol in the dozens to demonstrate opposition to further expansions of assisted suicide….

Read entire article at Oregon Right to Life.

Editor’s Note: This article was authored by Ashley Sadler and published at Oregon Right to Life. It is reprinted here with permission.