Right-to-die progress in the 20th & 21st centuries

Various forms of medically assisted dying and/or assisted suicide for the terminally or hopelessly ill competent adult have been approved by 2011 in the following eleven states and nations. Each has its own rules and guidelines. All but Switzerland and Colombia forbid foreigners coming for this type of help to die.

Important research by Compassion and Choices and the Final Exit Network has recently uncovered assisted dying laws previously not understood in Hawaii and Georgia. (Albania?s law is obscure and disputed.)

  1. Switzerland (l940)
  2. Hawaii (1909, 2004)
  3. Oregon (l994)
  4. Georgia US (1994)
  5. Colombia (l997)*
  6. Albania (1999)
  7. The Netherlands (2002) *
  8. Belgium (2003) *
  9. Luxembourg (2003)*
  10. Washington (2008)
  11. Montana (2009)

*These four states also permit voluntary euthanasia (lethal injection). The others permit only physician-assisted suicide (oral).

Notes.
England & Wales 2010 - (First prosecutorial policy statement about who will, or will not, risk criminal charges when assisting a suicide. Not a law but a big step forward.)

Georgia passed its law in 1994 but not until 2011 did its Attorney-General confirm that doctors were able to assist suicide of the advanced terminally ill provided there was no publicity.

Relevant web pages on this:
http://lists.opn.org/pipermail/right-to-die_lists.opn.org/2011-November/004652.html
http://lists.opn.org/pipermail/right-to-die_lists.opn.org/2011-November/004670.html
http://lists.opn.org/pipermail/right-to-die_lists.opn.org/2011-November/004663.html
http://lists.opn.org/pipermail/right-to-die_lists.opn.org/2011-November/004656.html

Source: Derek Humphry of ERGO www.finalexit.org
Updated 19 November 2011