Medical Aid in Dying Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Medical aid in dying is legal in thirteen US states and the District of Columbia. It is an option given to individuals by law in Colorado, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. It is an option given to individuals in Montana via court decision. Individuals must have a terminal illness as well as a prognosis of six months or less to live. Physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death.
Mandated by State
California
Delaware
Colorado
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Vermont
Washington
Mandated by Court Ruling
Other Facts
The specific method in each state varies, but mainly involves a prescription from a licensed physician approved by the state in which the patient is a resident.
Medical aid in dying differs from euthanasia, which is defined as the act of assisting people with their death in order to end their suffering, but without the backing of a controlling legal authority.
Statistics
The process of reporting applications and deaths varies by state.
California – According to the state’s 2024 Department of Public Health annual report, 8,242 individuals received prescriptions, and 5,423 people died after ingestion of the dispensed medication between June 9, 2016, and December 31, 2024.
Colorado – The state Department of Public Health and Environment reported that in 2025, 580 prescriptions for aid-in-dying medication were written by physicians for patients, and in 261 of those, the medication was dispensed by a pharmacy.
Oregon – Has had a medical aid in dying law on the books since 1997. Since its enactment, there has been a steady increase in both prescription recipients and the number of deaths. According to the 2025 Data Summary, 637 people received prescriptions and 400 people died from ingesting the drugs.
Vermont – According to a January 2026 report from the Department of Health, between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025, 190 people utilized the patient choice process and 148 died by patient choice.
Washington – According to an annual report from the state’s Department of Health, prescriptions were dispensed for 655 people and there were 491 reported deaths after ingestion of the medication in 2024.
Timeline
June 1997 – The US Supreme Court rules that state laws banning physician-assisted suicide do not violate the Constitution in the case Washington v. Glucksberg. The court left the matter of the constitutionality of a right to a physician’s aid in dying to the states.
October 27, 1997 – Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act becomes law. Passed in a 1994 election with 51% of voters in favor, the law was delayed initially because US District Judge Michael Hogan issued an injunction and then ruled it unconstitutional. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling, and the injunction was lifted when the US Supreme Court referred the matter back to the state in 1997.
November 1998 – Pathologist and assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, known as “Dr. Death,” videotapes the death of Thomas Youk, submits it to CBS’s 60 Minutes and it is broadcast on television. The airing prompts murder charges against Kevorkian, rather than assisted suicide charges, because Kevorkian injected the drug into Youk, who had Lou Gehrig’s disease. On March 26, 1999, Kevorkian is convicted of second-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance. He serves eight years of a 10 to 25-year sentence.
November 4, 2008 – Washington’s initiative, the Death with Dignity Act, is passed with 57.91% of voters in favor. The Act goes into effect March 5, 2009.
December 31, 2009 – A Montana Supreme Court ruling in the case Baxter v. Montana asserts that the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act protects a physician who prescribes aid from liability.
May 20, 2013 – Vermont signs the Patient Choice and Control at End-of-Life Act into law. On April 27, 2022, Governor Phil Scott signs a bill modifying the state law and increasing patient access to end of life prescriptions by use of telemedicine. On May 2, 2023, Vermont amends its assisted-dying law to remove the residency requirement, becoming the first state to do so.
January 13, 2014 – New Mexico Second Judicial District Judge Nan Nash rules in favor of an individual’s right to die in the case Morris v. Brandenberg. In appeal by the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General, the case is assigned to the New Mexico Court of Appeals/Supreme Court. The ruling remains in effect but only for Bernalillo County, according to the attorney general’s office. On April 8, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signs the Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act, allowing terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live to ask physicians for lethal medication. The law goes into effect on June 18.
November 1, 2014 – Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer, ends her life under Oregon’s “Death with Dignity Act.” She had moved to Oregon following her January 1, 2014, prognosis in order to take advantage of the Death with Dignity law. There was no such law in her native California. She garnered a large following advocating for “death with dignity” laws via social media.
October 5, 2015 – California Governor Jerry Brown signs into law the End of Life Option Act, which legalizes medical aid in dying for Californians with terminal illnesses. On March 10, 2016, the California legislature adjourns a special session, paving the way for the End of Life Option Act to take effect on June 9. On May 15, 2018, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia overturns the 2016 state law. Judge Ottolia says it is unconstitutional because the Legislature passed it during a special session. Days later, Attorney General Xavier Becerra requests an immediate stay and appeals to the state’s Court of Appeals. In June, the judgment is stayed by the appellate court. On February 27, 2019, the California Supreme Court affirms the stay issued by the state’s Court of Appeals, making the option of medical aid in dying legal for terminally ill adults who meet certain qualifications. On November 5, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signs a bill extending the End of Life Option Act and streamlining the process of accessing life-ending medication.
November 8, 2016 – Colorado voters approve Proposition 106, which includes the Colorado End of Life Options Act. It takes effect on December 16, 2016.
December 19, 2016 – The District of Columbia signs the Death with Dignity Act into law. The Act goes into effect February 18, 2017.
April 5, 2018 – Hawaii’s “Our Care, Our Choice Act” is signed into law. The Act goes into effect January 1, 2019.
April 12, 2019 – New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act into law. The law goes into effect on August 1.
June 12, 2019 – Maine Gov. Janet Mills signs the Death with Dignity Act into law.
May 20, 2025 – Medical aid in dying legislation is signed into law by Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer.
December 12, 2025 – Medical aid in dying legislation is signed into law by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
February 6, 2026 – The Medical Aid in Dying Act is signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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