Nearly 200 People in New Mexico Received Lethal Prescriptions for Assisted Suicide Last Year

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , , ,

Government data shows healthcare providers in New Mexico prescribed lethal drugs to 170 people last year under the state’s End-of-Life Options Act.

New Mexico legalized assisted suicide in 2021, and at the time the law was considered one of the worst of its kind. The law lets non-physicians like advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants prescribe assisted suicide drugs, and it does not require patients to see a mental health professional before ending their lives.

New Mexico’s 2025 assisted suicide report shows 170 people received lethal prescriptions last year. All of those prescriptions came from 26 healthcare providers in the state.

The report does not reveal how many people may have traveled to New Mexico for assisted suicide, and it does not provide details about government oversight to ensure healthcare providers complied with the law.

Experience has shown again and again that assisted suicide does not help people who are sick and dying.

Oregon first allowed assisted suicide in 1998, and official state reports have shown for years that the reasons people give most often for wanting to end their lives are loss of autonomy, decreasing ability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable, and loss of dignity.

Most patients do not express concerns about pain. They are lonely, and they feel like they are losing control because of their illnesses. These patients need counseling and support — not a prescription for deadly drugs.

That is part of the reason why Family Council has worked hard to block assisted suicide legislation in Arkansas.

In 2019 and 2021, Arkansas lawmakers wisely rejected very bad end-of-life laws that were flawed and fundamentally disrespected the right to life. Family Council worked closely with our friends in the legislature to stop these proposals.

Being pro-life means respecting innocent human life from conception until natural death. Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted-suicide are murder, and they violate the sanctity of human life.

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

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Arkansans Wager $2.5M Every Day on Sports Betting

Gambling,

Arkansans have wagered an average of roughly $2.5 million every single day on sports betting this year.

Data from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration shows that from January 1 through July 31, sports bets totaled $529,050,612.76. Nearly all of those bets were placed online.

All told, Arkansans have wagered an average of more than $75.5 million every month, or roughly $2.5 million per day.

That figure is likely to increase once football season gets underway.

We have written repeatedly about the explosion in gambling over the past few years. Studies show more than half of men ages 18-49 now have an active sportsbook account online, and the Arkansas Racing Commission approved FanDuel and DraftKings to conduct sports betting in February. But a growing body of evidence shows sports betting is harmful — and that internet sports betting is especially destructive.

People who gamble on sports are at an increased risk of suffering from gambling problems. When sports betting happens online or on a smartphone, the risk is even higher.

A study published this summer found gambling disorder diagnoses have risen in states that legalized sports betting. Researchers said the largest increase in gambling disorders was found among young adults.

Unfortunately, gambling problems go hand-in-hand with financial problems.

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York also found that states with legal mobile sports betting have seen credit delinquency rates spike.

A recent report from the Ethics and Public Policy Center confirmed that legal sports betting is linked to increases in personal bankruptcies and credit card delinquencies.

Bankruptcy attorneys across the country say online sports betting is driving a surge in personal financial problems — especially among young men in their 20s and 30s.

In fact, researchers at UCLA estimate that online sportsbooks are linked to roughly 30,000 more bankruptcies per year nationwide.

Arkansans need to understand that sports betting isn’t harmless entertainment — it’s predatory, and it’s growing.

To put it another way: Can Arkansas really afford to wager $2.5 million every single day on sports?

As powerful corporations try to make gambling part of everyday life, it’s important for Arkansas to protect its citizens and families from predatory gambling. Otherwise, gambling addiction will simply continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.

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

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