UNITED STATES PHYSICIAN AID IN DYING (PAD) STATUTES: HISTORY, OUTCOMES, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR STAKEHOLDERS

Abstract

Physician Aid in Dying (PAD) has been legalized in 11 United States Jurisdictions. The history of the practice in what would become the United States reaches back to the colonial times, through the 20th Century Supreme Court cases of Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill to the legalization of PAD by statute, starting with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act in 1997, to today. Advocacy organizations have been influential throughout the debate. Pro-PAD organizations have lobbied for PAD legalization and worked alongside policymakers to craft the Oregon statute and the other 10 based off the Oregon template. PAD opponents have warned against the slippery slope which they argue is the end result of the excesses of PAD.