Assisted Suicide Updates

Legislating Assisted Suicide

Assisted suicide is currently legal in California, Colorado, 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 (some urgent) while the states listed below the dividing line have failed to move forward or to be passed.

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

California—Assisted suicide is already legal in the state.  SB403, a bill (which is similar to a bill from the previous legislative session SB1196) seeks to amend the 2015 End of Life Option Act.  This bill calls for a study to make the following changes: Permitting IV self-administration will allow for euthanasia, permit non-doctors to assist suicide, eliminate the terminal illness requirement, eliminate the residency requirement to allow for suicide tourism.

SB403 was introduced and read for the first time on February 14.  The bill was sent to the Rules Committee, amended twice then sent to Senate Committees on Health and Judiciary.  On April 29, a hearing was held in Judiciary and the committee passed the bill out of committee to be sent to the Appropriations Committee.

For the language of the bill and for the amendments that have been made so far, see SB403 text or go to the California Catholic Conference for information.

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.

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

New Jersey—Assisted suicide has been legal in New Jersey since 2019. A1880, a bill to waive the current 15 day waiting period under certain circumstances, was introduced in the House on January 9, 2024, and referred to the Assembly Health Committee. The companion bill, S3588, was introduced in the Senate on September 19, 2024, and referred to the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.  These bills carry over from last year because New Jersey is in the second year of their 2024-2025 session.

Also in this session, A406 was introduced to protect citizens from being killed by to making it a serious crime to coerce a patient to request medication pursuant to the assisted suicide or to forge a patient’s request for such medication.  After it was introduced, the bill was then referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.  Another bill, A407, was introduced to repeal assisted suicide in New Jersey and was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

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.

Oregon— A bill that would further loosen the guidelines to assisted suicide was introduced. SB 1003 sought to change the term “attending physician” to “prescribing provider” and “consulting physician” to “consulting provider” which would essentially allow for non-doctors to prescribe death for a person.  It reduced the waiting period from 15 days to 48 hours, enabled the “providing prescriber” to waive the waiting period and essentially allow a same day death, and required hospices and hospitals to publicly disclose their assisted suicide policy. The bill was assigned to committee and a public hearing was held on 3/3/25 and on 6/2/25, where there was overwhelming opposition to the bill. See a report on the hearing.

The bill was assigned to two committees, but thankfully did not pass the assembly before the legislative year ended.  The Oregon Legislative Assembly adjourned on June 27, 2025.

The following states are no longer active for the year

Click on your state for more information.