Salem, OR—On March 28, 2022, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum entered into a settlement agreement that guaranteed the non-enforcement of the residency requirement in Oregon’s “Death with Dignity Act.” This statute limited physician-assisted suicide access to residents of Oregon.
“We already have a problem with dangerously short physician-patient relationships and the push to eliminate any waiting period for life-ending drugs. We should not be expanding access to lethal prescriptions,” said Oregon Right to Life Executive Director Lois Anderson. “The residency requirement at least protected some patients from predatory practices going unnoticed in the current execution of the law.”
By agreeing to a settlement, Attorney General Rosenblum prevented the legal claims from being addressed in court. This course of action leaves the constitutional challenges unanswered. Further, it allows Oregon officials to refrain from executing the law without the passage of official policy or legislation.
“Oregon leadership is continuing to push their controversial agenda without accountability or due diligence on life and death issues,” continued Anderson. “Oregon has launched its new industry—death tourism.”
