BMJ 1995;310:613-614 (11 March)

Editorials

Oregon's plans to legalise suicide assisted by a doctor

How much more open will the practice become?

Oregon voters' approval of Ballot Measure 16 in last November's election marked the first time that suicide assisted by a doctor had been legalised anywhere in the world. Although an injunction currently bars the law, its passage by the electorate suggests that American attitudes towards suicide assisted by a doctor are shifting gradually towards acceptance.1 Surveys suggest that the attitudes of American doctors2 3 4 5 are also shifting--as they are in many other countries.

If the injunction is lifted the new law in Oregon will allow a primary care doctor to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs for a terminally ill adult patient who asks for it in order to give himself or herself an overdose. The doctor has the right to decline. The patient must be a resident of Oregon who is competent, informed, and expected to die within six months. A second . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Legalised suicide may increase openness in the doctor-patient relationship
Gill Green
BMJ 1995 310: 1467. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Brewin, T. (1995). Should doctors have a dual role, preserving life and assisting death?. BMJ 310: 1467b-1467 [Full text]  
  • Green, G. (1995). Legalised suicide may increase openness in the doctor-patient relationship. BMJ 310: 1467c-1467 [Full text]  
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