Oregon Governor Kate Brown Signs Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide

Oregon Governor Kate Brown on Monday signed a bill that legalized assisted suicide for terminally ill adults. The bill, which passed the Oregon Legislature with bipartisan support, took effect on January 1, 2023.

Under the new law, Oregonians who are 18 years of age or older and have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that will likely lead to their death within six months will be eligible to request assisted suicide. To be eligible, patients must also be able to make and communicate their own health care decisions and be able to self-administer the medication.

The bill includes a number of safeguards to protect patients from coercion or abuse. For example, patients must have two independent witnesses sign their request for assisted suicide, and they must wait 15 days after making their request before they can receive the medication.

Oregon is the ninth state to legalize assisted suicide. The practice is also legal in Washington, Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, and New Mexico.

Supporters of the Oregon bill say it will give terminally ill patients the right to die with dignity. Opponents of the bill say it is morally wrong and could lead to vulnerable people being pressured into ending their lives.

The debate over assisted suicide is likely to continue in Oregon and other states.

-This text was generated by Bard, a large language model from Google AI