A record number of people received prescriptions for assisted suicide in Oregon in 2025, the state’s Health Authority has revealed, as the state records its second-highest yearly assisted suicide death toll.
The latest annual assisted suicide report ‘2025 Oregon Death with Dignity Act Data Summary’, released at the beginning of April, has revealed 3,691 people ended their lives by assisted suicide in Oregon since 1998. The report states there were 400 assisted suicide deaths in 2025, accounting for an estimated 1% of all deaths in Oregon over the year.
However, the 400 figure will likely be updated – as previous years have been – and will include reports received after 23 January 2026. This means the final figure of the number of people who died by assisted suicide in Oregon in 20254 could be even higher. In 2024, for example, the number of deaths by assisted suicide in Oregon was initially reported as 376; however, the latest report revised this total up to 421, the highest number for any year.
The report also reveals that, in 280 cases out of the 400 deaths by assisted suicide, it is not known whether or not there were any complications. This is because this data is only reported when there is a physician or healthcare provider present at the time of death. Out of the 120 cases in which complication data is available, seven people suffered complications, including difficulty ingesting or regurgitating the lethal substance. This means there is a known complication rate of 5.83%.
According to the report, 53.5% (214) of all individuals who ended their lives by assisted suicide were female, while 46.5% (186) of them were male.
Almost two in five who died by assisted suicide were concerned about being a burden
Among the end-of-life concerns listed by those who ended their lives, almost two in five (39.75%) of those who ended their lives reported being concerned about being a “[b]urden on family, friends/caregivers”.
89.0% said they were concerned about reduced ability “to engage in activities making life enjoyable”, 89.0% mentioned concerns about “losing autonomy”, and 65.0% of those who ended their lives in this way said they were concerned about loss of dignity.
Only two patients were referred for psychiatric evaluation in 2025, and out of the 3,691 who have ended their lives under the law since it was introduced, only 83 have been referred for psychiatric evaluation.
Since 2001, 4.4% of all those who have ended their lives through assisted suicide in Oregon have not informed their families about their decision.
In 40.64% (1,500) of all assisted suicides in Oregon since 1998, there was no information available about how long it took a patient to die after ingestion of the lethal substance. In those cases in which there is information available, the duration between ingestion and death was anywhere between one minute and 137 hours.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is incredibly worrying that the number of assisted suicide prescriptions in Oregon hit a record high in 2025. Assisted suicide deaths may well have hit a record high, too, if the revision of data from previous years is anything to go by. This should serve as a stark warning to all those who believe that assisted suicide remains rare”.
“One of the most shocking aspects of the data from Oregon is that the end-of-life concerns for those who ended their lives by assisted suicide are not treatable by death, but by a higher quality of care and support in life. Sadly, around 40% of people reported concerns about being a burden on family and friends. The focus must be on palliative care and not on helping these vulnerable adults to end their lives”.
“Equally shocking is the apparent lack of medical oversight, as less than 1% of those who took their own lives underwent a psychiatric evaluation and, in the majority of cases, no medical professional was present at the time of death. What exactly happened, how long it took the person to die, and whether there were complications are largely unknown. The potential for abuse and coercion here is very real and should be deeply alarming to other countries, such as our own, who are considering introducing assisted suicide”.
