Patricia Dewey Lambert Camille CioffiEssaides, Thalia2022-09-282022-09-282022-05https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2751362 pagesPhysician-assisted dying is when a physician provides, at the patient’s request, a prescription for a lethal dose of medication that the patient can self-administer by ingestion, with the explicit intention of ending life. The question of whether and under what circumstances terminally ill patients should be allowed to access life-ending medications with the aid of a physician is receiving increasing attention as a matter of public policy. While public policy related to physician-assisted dying may be a relatively recent development, it is the result of a much longer effort to provide the best possible end-of-life care to patients. The hospice movement shifted the focus from providing treatment to patients for physical ailments, to caring for patients holistically. In 1994, Oregon became the first state in the country to legalize physician-assisted dying policy. Since then, Oregon’s policy has been used as an example for other states when crafting their own physician-assisted dying policies. Several issues have arisen since the creation of the policy 25 years ago, and there are many ongoing discussions about ways the law should be applied differently or altered, proving the relevance and importance of the law to lawmakers and Oregonians alike.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USDeath with Dignity ActPublic PolicyPhysician-Assisted DyingHospicePalliative CareEnd-of-Life CareOregonDeath with Dignity ActThesis / Dissertation