UK debating an Oregon-style assisted suicide bill. The Oregon law lacks oversight.

Let's be clear. If this bill passes, doctors will be allowed to assist the suicides of British residents. This is a life and death debate.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

British Members of Parliament will be voting on a private members assisted suicide bill on (November 29) that is sponsored by Kim Leadbeater.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, is a long-time promoter of assisted suicide. During the election Starmer promised that an assisted suicide bill would be introduced with a free-vote in parliament. Based on MP's statements the vote will likley be closer than Leadbeater and Starmer originally projected. (Link to Article).

The British bill is similar to the Oregon assisted suicide law, nonetheless the Oregon law also lacks effective oversight.

There are unanswered questions, related to abuse and under reporting concerning the Oregon assisted suicide law.

Let's look at the data.

The 2023 Oregon assisted suicide report indicates that there were 367 reported assisted suicide deaths up by 21% from 304 in 2022.

The number of lethal poison prescriptions written under the Oregon assisted suicide law increased to 566 in 2023 up by 29% from 433 in 2022.

There were more than 367 assisted suicide deaths in 2023. Every year the Oregon assisted suicide report updates the number of assisted suicide deaths in the previous year. 

The 2022 Oregon assisted suicide report stated that there were 278 assisted suicide deaths while the 2023 Oregon assisted suicide report stated that there were 304 assisted suicide deaths in 2022. The same has been true in every report. The increased number of assisted suicide deaths is based on late reporting. Based on this reality, I suggest that there were likely 400 assisted suicide deaths in 2023.

Since Britain has more than 16 times the number of citizens as the State of Oregon, there would likely be at least 6400 assisted suicide deaths and 9000 lethal poison prescriptions written yearly, if Britain legalizes assisted suicide.

Let's be clear. If this bill passes, doctors will be allowed to assist the suicides of British residents. This is a life and death debate.

Lack of oversight of the law.

The 2023 Oregon assisted suicide report states that the "ingestion status" was unknown in 141 of the 566 lethal poison prescriptions. This means that the Oregon Health Authority does not know how 141 people who were approved and received the lethal drugs died. Some of them are assisted suicide deaths that will be reported in the 2024 report. Some of these people died a natural death and some of these people died by assisted suicide but the death was not reported.

Considering that the Oregon assisted suicide law employs a self-reporting system, meaning the doctor who carried out the death is also the one who is responsible for reporting the death, therefore it is not surprising that unreported assisted suicide deaths would be happen in Oregon.

Only 3 of the 566 people who were prescribed lethal poison in 2023, were referred for a psychiatric assessment.

In Oregon, complications are only reported when a health care provider is present at the death. In 2023, there were 10 known complications based on 102 reported deaths representing almost a 10% complication rate. Based on the 367 reported assisted suicide deaths, there would be approximately 36 complications in 2023.

It is important to note that the longest time to die, in 2023, was 137 hours (more than 5.5 days).

Nearly every US state that has legalized assisted suicide has expanded their laws.

The assisted suicide law is well aware that it is harder to legalize assisted suicide than to expand the law once legal. Therefore assisted suicide bills are designed to sell the legalization of assisted suicide with the intention of expanding the law later.

It is important to note that no new US state has legalized assisted suicide in the last three years.

In 2019 Oregon expanded their assisted suicide law by giving doctors the ability to waive the waiting period when a person was deemed "near" to death.

In 2021 California expanded their assisted suicide law by: reducing the waiting period, forcing doctors who oppose assisted suicide to be complicit in the process (later struck down by the court) and it forced all medical institutions to post their policy on assisted suicide.

In 2022 Vermont expanded their assisted suicide law by removing the waiting period, (allowing a same day death), removing the requirement that an examination be done in person, (allowing approvals by telehealth), and it extended legal immunity to anyone who participates in the act.

In 2023 Oregon removed the assisted suicide law residency requirement which allows anyone to die by assisted suicide in Oregon.

In 2023 Vermont also removed the assisted suicide law residency requirement to also allow anyone to die by assisted suicide.

In 2023 Washington State expanded their assisted suicide law by: allowing advanced practice registered nurses to approve and prescribe lethal poison, reducing the waiting period, and to force healthcare institutions and hospices to post their assisted suicide policies.

In 2023 Hawaii expanded their assisted suicide law by: reducing the waiting period, allowing the waiting period to be waived if the person is "near" to death and allowing advanced practice registered nurses to approve and prescribe lethal poison.

In 2024 Colorado expanded their assisted suicide law by: reducing the waiting period, allowing the waiting period to be waived if the person is "near" to death and allowing advanced practise registered nurses to approve and prescribe the lethal poison.

The assisted suicide lobby launched a lawsuit challenging the New Jersey state assisted suicide residency requirement.

The goal of the assisted suicide lobby is to legalize assisted suicide by devising a bill that will sell the legalization to politicians. The assisted suicide lobby will then expand the scope of the assisted suicide laws after legalization either through legislation or by launching court cases. Once legal the assisted suicide lobby will argue that the safeguards stand in the way of equality.