Further to what I said in this column on 14th March :Voting on Assisted Dying (desmondswaynemp.com)
The US State of Oregon is often held up as the example of ‘best practice’ for a jurisdiction that has enabled assisted suicide.
It has released its data for 2023. Some of it rather disturbing.
The full report is at Oregon Death with Dignity Act: 2023 Data Summary but here are some highlights
Complications: Just under 1 in 10 deaths had complications (9.8%) including 8 regurgitations, 1 seizure, and 1 listed as ‘other’. However, no data was provided for 72.2% of the total 367 deaths in 2023, meaning the form was left blank by the healthcare provider present.
Reasons for Applying: Since 2017, on average 52.1% of applicants have applied because they felt like a burden. Interestingly, ‘Inadequate pain control’ ranks far lower as a reason for wanting an assisted death.
Length of Death: Oregon has sadly set a new record for the longest assisted death. In 2023 it now stands at 137 hours – 5 days and 17 hours after ingestion.
Mental Competency: A tiny 0.8% of applicants were referred for psychiatric evaluation. This means only 3 people the whole year were queried for having sound mind to make the decision to end their life.
I don’t think any of this is an advertisement for what is euphemistically now referred to as ‘dignity in dying’. Putting ethics and principles to one side, can the process of ingesting lethal drugs ever be straightforward?