Latest Oregon Report Shows Sobering Statistics on Assisted Suicide

Oregon’s 2025 “Death with Dignity Act” report shows a staggering number of people ended their lives under the state’s assisted suicide law last year.

In 1997, Oregon became the first state in America to legalize physician-assisted suicide, and since then policymakers have worked to make it easier for people to receive a prescription for lethal drugs.

Family Council has written repeatedly about the problems with Oregon’s assisted suicide law over the years.

Oregon’s 2025 reports show that a record 637 lethal prescriptions for assisted suicide were written last year.

Of the people who ended their lives in Oregon, most did not indicate they were concerned about managing their pain in the face of a terminal illness.

Instead, loss of autonomy, being less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable, and loss of dignity were the reasons most people cited for requesting a lethal prescription.

Only two people were referred for psychiatric evaluation last year before ending their lives.

Nearly 40% said they were concerned about being a burden to family, friends, or caregivers, and more than one in 20 people (6%) who opted for assisted suicide in Oregon last year said they were concerned about the financial implications of medical treatment. That’s deeply concerning.

Patients who are lonely and feel like they are losing control over their lives need counseling and support — not a deadly prescription.

Experience has shown that assisted suicide doesn’t help people who are sick or dying, and it doesn’t remain limited to a few cases.

In the U.S., insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted suicide drugs.

Patients in Europe and Canada reportedly have been denied care or actively euthanized as a result of assisted suicide laws.

Stories like these are part of the reason why Family Council has strongly opposed assisted suicide legislation in Arkansas.

Being pro-life means believing innocent human life is sacred from conception until natural death.

Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide violate the sanctity of innocent human life.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.