DWD Legal Requirements

Oregon’s Death with Dignity (DWD) allows physicians to prescribe life-ending medication for their terminally ill patients.

   
Qualifications

To be eligible to use Oregon’s law, you must:

• Be 18 years or older;
• Have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, i.e, an illness that under the doctor’s best judgment, would end your life within 6 months;
• Have decision-making capacity. In other words, the ability to make your own autonomous healthcare decisions when requesting DWD and when taking the medication;
• Be capable of ingesting the medication without assistance.

Not an Oregon resident? Learn more here.

Two Oregon Physicians Must Agree

Two Oregon physicians must agree that you are eligible to use the DWD law; one is the prescribing physician and the other is the consulting physician. If either physician questions your mental capacity, they may require that you see a psychiatrist or psychologist for evaluation.

If your current health care providers are not able or willing to participate in the law, let EOLCOR know.

Commonly asked:

“If I’m eligible for hospice, do I qualify for the law?”

Hospice enrollment does not necessarily coincide with eligibility for DWD. Physicians make the decisions for both hospice and Death With Dignity.

“What if I change my mind about using the law?”

You may change your mind any time. You are always in charge, and this option is ALWAYS your choice.