Abstract
The Oregon Death with Dignity Act is a voter-approved initiative to allow for physician-assisted suicide under certain clearly defined circumstances and following specific procedures. This paper looks at the history of the law and the legal cases leading up to the passing of the law. Thereafter, the paper looks at the pros and cons of the law, reactions to the law by different interest groups and the law in reality.

From the Paper
"The first challenge to the law caused a federal judge to rule that Oregon's assisted suicide law was unconstitutional because it unfairly discriminates against the dying. The court stated, "There is little assurance that only competent terminally ill persons will voluntarily die. Some 'good results' cannot outweigh other lives lost due to unconstitutional errors and abuses" ("Oregon Assisted Suicide Law Revoked" 18). Then, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected this lawsuit and ordered a lower court judge to throw out the suit against the 1994 law, stating that those bringing the suit could not show that they faced an imminent threat of harm and so had standing to bring the suit. This is the decision the Supreme Court then refused to hear. However, the U.S. Congress then considered a way around the law through the Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act of 1997, Senate bill 304, which included a provision that would ban the use of federal funds "to cause, or to assist in causing, the suicide, euthanasia or mercy killing of any individual" (Kalmeyer 3835)."

Tags:terminally, ill, DDA, Karen, Ann, Quinlan