Assisted Suicide Updates

Legislating Assisted Suicide

Assisted suicide is now legal in California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington as well as in the District of Columbia.  Montana allows for a defense against criminal liability regarding assisted suicide, that consent could be used as a defense according to a decision by the state Supreme Court.

Assisted suicide is not health care.  Whether it be euthanasia, assisted suicide, aid in dying or death with dignity all seek the same result, to allow for people to be killed through medical personnel.  The details of the laws may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the sole purpose is to take the life of another by administering drugs to end that patient’s life.

Proponents of assisted suicide and euthanasia have introduced bills in various states for the 2025 legislative session.

The list below is not exhaustive but presents information on states that have introduced bills to either legalize or expand assisted suicide.  The top segment of states are still active.

Alex Schadenberg of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition covers this topic in the United States and abroad.  See his article on the expanding assisted suicide laws.

New York— A136 and S138 are companion bills that were introduced on January 8, 2025.  In each of the House and Senate chambers the bills were referred to the Committee on Health.   On Tuesday April 22, there was news of these assisted suicide bills moving forward.  The bishops of New York issued a statement on this bill, indicating “that the New York State Assembly would take up legislation (A136/S138) to legalize state-sanctioned suicide for those who are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Euphemistically titled the Medical Aid in Dying Act, this bill would usher in a dangerous new era in our state, turning the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians to “do no harm” on its head and leaving vulnerable individuals – people with disabilities, the elderly, and those in impoverished and medically underserved communities – subject to pressure and coercion to end their lives so as not to be a “burden” to society or an excessive cost to insurance companies.”

Unfortunately, A136/S138 passed in the Assembly on April 9 and the Senate on June 9.  The legislation has yet to be sent to Governor Hochul.  Click here to send a message to the governor telling her to VETO the assisted suicide bill.

Assisting a patient to commit suicide is not medical care.  For an informative article by the organization Not Dead Yet, a disabilities rights group, conveys the disturbing reality of the of S 136 and a sobering article published in The Dialogue.

Massachusetts—Two related assisted suicide bills, H2505 and S1486, were both filed on January 16, 2025.   Massachusetts has faced several assisted suicide bills in the past, and those who support assisted killing continue to push to get something passed in the state.  When the ‘End of Life Options Act’ was heard on April 2 in the Joint Committee on Public Health, a report on how to proceed with H2505/S1486 was requested by June 1.  So far, there is no record of a report being submitted and no hearings are scheduled for the bill in the Health-care Financing Committee where it currently awaits action.

The Massachusetts legislative session is scheduled to end on 11/19/2025.

For more information about assisted suicide in Massachusetts, go to the MA Catholic Conference.

Click on your state for more information.

States that passed their assisted suicide legislation

The states below introduced legislation on assisted suicide but did not pass it in the 2025 session.