Euthanasia means a doctor deliberately ending the life of a patient who asks to die, usually with an injection. In medical aid in dying, also called assisted dying, a doctor prescribes lethal medication that the patient takes themselves. Both are meant for adults who are seriously ill and suffering, and the debate is about whether the law should allow them.
Oregon became the first US state to allow aid in dying when its law was passed in 1997.1 That same year, the US Supreme Court ruled 9 to 0 that there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide, but left the question to the states: “Our holding permits this debate to continue, as it should in a democratic society.”11
Many states have since followed. Illinois became the 12th state to allow it in December 2025 and New York the 13th in February 2026, alongside Washington, DC.65 In Oregon in 2025, 400 people died after taking the medication, about 1.0% of all deaths in the state. Their median age was 76, and 61% had cancer.1 Most Americans approve: in 2024, 71% told Gallup that doctors should be allowed by law to end a terminally ill patient's life if the patient and family ask.3
Some countries go further. Canada's Supreme Court struck down its ban in 2015, and in 2024, 16,499 people in Canada received medical assistance in dying, 5.1% of all deaths in the country.122 In the Netherlands, 9,958 people died by euthanasia in 2024, 5.9% of all deaths, including 219 people whose suffering came from psychiatric conditions.4
Personal stories drive the argument on both sides. In 2014 Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old with terminal brain cancer, moved from California to Oregon to use its law. On the day she died she wrote, “Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness.”9 California passed its own law the next year.10 Critics point instead to Alan Nichols, a 61-year-old Canadian whose 2019 request to die listed only one health condition: hearing loss. His brother said, “Alan was basically put to death.”19
The fault lines run deep. The American Medical Association says physician-assisted suicide “is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer.”14 Disability groups fear that people will choose death because they feel like a burden, a concern listed by 39.8% of Oregon patients in 2025. Supporters reply that the top reasons were losing autonomy and losing the activities that made life enjoyable, each cited by 89%.1
Elsewhere the votes are close. British MPs backed a bill for England and Wales by 314 to 291 in June 2025, but it ran out of time in the House of Lords in April 2026, after opponents filed more than 1,200 amendments. A month earlier, the Scottish Parliament had rejected a similar bill.87
Key terms
Euthanasia
A doctor or nurse deliberately ends a patient's life at the patient's request, usually with an injection.
Medical aid in dying
A doctor prescribes lethal medication that a dying patient takes themselves. Also called assisted dying or physician-assisted suicide.
Terminal illness
An illness that cannot be cured and is expected to cause death. US laws such as those in New York and Illinois require a prognosis of six months or less to live.56
Palliative care
Medical care that focuses on relieving pain and other symptoms and improving quality of life, rather than curing the disease.
Conscientious objection
When a doctor or hospital refuses to take part in a lawful procedure because it goes against their moral or religious beliefs.
Decision-making capacity
Being able to understand your situation and options and make a clear choice. Every assisted dying law requires it.
Autonomy
The principle that competent adults have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and lives, including medical care.
Slippery slope
The argument that once a practice is allowed for a narrow group, the rules will gradually widen to include many more people.
Pros and cons at a glance
Pro: legalise it
Con: keep it illegal
Pro arguments
Con arguments
Key clashes
Most debates on assisted dying are won or lost on these four questions.
1Whose life is it?
A question of principle: personal freedom against protecting life.
Pro saysCompetent adults should decide how their own life ends. In Oregon, loss of autonomy is the most common reason patients give.1
Con saysA choice made under pain, fear or loneliness is not truly free, and the law shapes what society expects of the sick.18
2Can safeguards hold?
Both sides point to the same countries and read them differently.
Pro saysStudies of Oregon and the Netherlands found no extra risk for vulnerable groups, apart from people with AIDS.16
Con saysCanada widened its law within five years, and reviewers found cases driven by poverty and isolation.21320
3What is a doctor for?
Medical groups themselves are divided.
Pro saysEasing suffering is part of a doctor's job, and the British Medical Association now takes a neutral position.15
Con saysHelping patients die breaks the healer's role, as the American Medical Association still says.14
4Is better care the real answer?
Nobody disputes that end-of-life care could be better. They disagree on what follows.
Pro saysMost Oregon patients are already in hospice. Good care and a legal choice can go together.1
Con saysOnly about 14% of people worldwide who need palliative care get it. Fix that before offering death.22
Around the world
The US: 13 states and Washington, DC allow medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults, most recently Illinois, Delaware and New York.65
Canada and the Netherlands: both allow euthanasia by a doctor, and it now accounts for about 5% to 6% of all deaths in each country.24
Europe: Spain became the fourth EU country to legalise euthanasia in 2021, after Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.28 People travel to Switzerland to die at clinics such as Dignitas.27
Elsewhere: New Zealand voters approved a law in a 2020 referendum by 65.1%.26 Australia and Portugal also allow it, while in 2026 both the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament failed to pass bills.7
Debate tip: foreign examples are evidence for both sides. Pro can point to Oregon's long, closely watched record; Con can point to how quickly Canada's rules and numbers grew.
Discussion questions
For class or club discussion. There are no right answers; ask for reasons and evidence.
Should medical aid in dying be legal? Explain your answer using at least one argument from each side.
Is there a real moral difference between a patient refusing life support and a patient taking medication to die?
Should assisted dying be limited to people who are expected to die within six months, or should people with long-term suffering also qualify?
If some patients choose death partly because they feel like a burden, is that a reason to ban it, or a reason to improve care and support?
Should doctors who object be allowed to refuse, and should they have to refer patients to a doctor who will help?
Sources
Oregon Health Authority, “Oregon Death with Dignity Act: 2025 Data Summary,” 2026. LinkGovernment report
Health Canada, “Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada, 2024,” November 2025. LinkGovernment report
“Euthanasia cases rise 10%, more psychiatric-related deaths,” DutchNews.nl, March 2025, reporting the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees' 2024 figures. LinkNews report
“Hochul signs Medical Aid in Dying Act,” The Daily Gazette (Schenectady), February 9, 2026. LinkNews report
Associated Press, “Illinois becomes 12th state to provide medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill,” December 15, 2025, via KCRG. LinkNews report
Associated Press, “Bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales fails as parliamentary time runs out,” April 2026, via San Mateo Daily Journal. LinkNews report
“British parliament votes in favour of assisted dying law,” Al Jazeera, June 20, 2025. LinkNews report
“Terminally ill Brittany Maynard ends her own life,” ABC7, November 3, 2014. LinkNews report
CNN Wire, “California governor signs right-to-die bill,” via WTVR, October 5, 2015. LinkNews report
Supreme Court of the United States, Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997). LinkCourt ruling
Supreme Court of Canada, Carter v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 5, February 6, 2015. LinkCourt ruling
Department of Justice Canada, “Canada's medical assistance in dying (MAID) law.” LinkGovernment guidance
American Medical Association, Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 5.7, “Physician-Assisted Suicide.” LinkProfessional body
British Medical Association, “BMA adopts neutral position on physician-assisted dying,” September 14, 2021. LinkProfessional body
Margaret P. Battin, Agnes van der Heide, Linda Ganzini, Gerrit van der Wal and Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen, “Legal physician-assisted dying in Oregon and the Netherlands: evidence concerning the impact on patients in ‘vulnerable’ groups,” Journal of Medical Ethics 33(10), 2007. LinkPeer-reviewed study
Scott Y. H. Kim, Raymond De Vries and John R. Peteet, “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide of Patients With Psychiatric Disorders in the Netherlands 2011 to 2014,” JAMA Psychiatry 73(4), 2016. LinkPeer-reviewed study
National Council on Disability, “Federal Study Finds Nation's Assisted Suicide Laws Rife with Dangers to People with Disabilities,” October 9, 2019. LinkFederal agency
Maria Cheng, Associated Press, “‘Disturbing’: Experts troubled by Canada’s euthanasia laws,” August 10, 2022, via KTVZ. LinkNews report
Maria Cheng, Associated Press, “Committee reviewing euthanasia in Canada finds some deaths driven by homelessness fears, isolation,” October 17, 2024, via ClickOnDetroit. LinkNews report
Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press, “UN experts alarmed by trend toward assisted dying for non-terminal conditions,” January 27, 2021, via CFJC Today. LinkNews report
World Health Organization, “Palliative care” fact sheet, August 5, 2020. LinkInternational body
Vatican News, summary of Samaritanus bonus, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, September 22, 2020. LinkOfficial church statement
“All three doctors acquitted in euthanasia trial in Ghent,” The Brussels Times, January 31, 2020. LinkNews report
“Belgian court acquits three doctors in landmark euthanasia case,” The Globe and Mail, January 2020. LinkNews report
Electoral Commission of New Zealand, “Official referendum results released,” November 6, 2020. LinkGovernment
Aine Fox and Rhiannon James, PA, “UK deaths at Dignitas at second-highest level in two decades,” Express & Star, March 20, 2026. LinkNews report
CNN Newsource, “Spain approves euthanasia law,” via KTVZ, March 18, 2021. LinkNews report
Arguments marked “Evidence needed” are waiting for a source before this guide goes live.
