Category: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

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.

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Scottish Parliament Rejects Euthanasia

Last week the Scottish Parliament reportedly rejected a proposal that would have made Scotland the first country in the U.K. to legalize assisted suicide.

Elected officials first proposed the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill in 2024. The measure would have let medical professionals give lethal prescriptions to terminally ill adults who are deemed mentally competent and who have resided in Scotland for at least a year.

In January, the French Senate rejected a similar measure as well.

Despite the “safeguards” euthanasia’s supporters place in these types of laws, 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.

Canada is poised to reach it’s 100,000th death through assisted suicide this summer.

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

Recent news articles allege that an elderly woman in Ontario — dubbed “Mrs. B” in official reports — was euthanized against her will after her elderly husband began “experiencing caregiver burnout.” Her husband reportedly requested “an urgent assessment” of his wife’s eligibility for assisted suicide. She was euthanized that evening.

The vast majority of patients approved for assisted suicide never receive psychiatric screenings.

In parts of the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal, insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted suicide drugs.

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.

READ MORE

Canada’s Alarming Milestone: 100,000 Deaths from Assisted Suicide

Canada is poised to reach a grim milestone this summer: It’s 100,000th death through assisted suicide.

In the next year, Canada could expand assisted suicide to include people suffering solely from mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.

Canadian healthcare officials have also suggested euthanasia also be extended to “babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes.”

Canada has embraced assisted suicide and euthanasia in a way very few countries have. According to the country’s most recent Report on Medical Assistance in Dying, 76,475 Canadians had died via assisted suicide as of December 31, 2024. With an average of 45 assisted suicide and euthanasia deaths every day, Canada is projected to surpass its 100,000th death by early June.

All of this shows just how quickly a nation can slide down the slippery slope from “death with dignity” to a culture of death.

Being pro-life means believing innocent human life is sacred. That’s why Family Council has spent years opposing assisted suicide and euthanasia in Arkansas.

Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are murder, and they violate the sanctity of human life.

The tragedy unfolding in Canada shows us what happens when society accepts the idea that some lives are not worth living. Instead of offering death as a solution, we should focus on providing better palliative care, mental health support, and compassionate assistance to those who are struggling.

Arkansas’ families, churches, and voters must continue to stand for the sanctity of human life and oppose any efforts to legalize assisted suicide in our state.

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

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