Sixty Oregonians ended their lives under Death With Dignity Act in 2008

In all, 401 terminally ill Oregonians have died this way since 1997, when Oregon made it legal for a doctor to prescribe a lethal drug dose to a terminally ill patient who makes the request orally and in writing. Oregon is about to lose its exclusive status as the only state where such a prescription — known variously as doctor-assisted suicide or physician aid-in-dying — is legal. An almost identical law will take effect Thursday in Washington.

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