Assisted dying laws cover 400 million people as rules diverge

Assisted dying is legal in jurisdictions covering roughly 400 million people, with rules that differ sharply. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Austria have all passed laws since 2015, when UK MPs last voted on the issue, and France is the most recent to act, adopting an “aid in dying” law for adults with incurable conditions causing unbearable pain.

Where is assisted dying legal in the United States?

In the United States, assisted dying is legal in 30 of the 50 states and in Washington DC, with Oregon’s 1997 law the model on which other state laws have been framed.

How does Oregon’s law work?

Oregon’s law covers terminally ill, mentally competent adults expected to die within six months, with sign-off from two doctors. Since 1997, 5,520 people have received a prescription for a lethal dose of medication and 3,691 deaths have followed. In a 2025 report, 61% of those who asked for help to die had cancer, 14% a neurological condition such as motor neurone disease and 11% heart disease.

Of the 400 patients who took a lethal dose last year, 89% cited loss of autonomy, 47% losing control of bodily functions, 43% concern about being a burden on family and friends and 4% the financial implications of treatment. The medication must be self-administered, as is proposed in England and Wales, and about one in three people prescribed a lethal dose do not go ahead.

Why does Canada divide opinion?

Canada introduced medical assistance in dying (Maid) in 2016 for the terminally ill, then widened it in 2021 to people experiencing “unbearable suffering” from an irreversible illness or disability. An extension to people with a mental illness is on hold. About one in 20 deaths in Canada is now medically assisted, against about one in 100 in Oregon. Critics say widening eligibility puts disabled and vulnerable people at greater risk; in the UK, fewer than one in 10 Britons back cuts to disability benefits.

Which European countries allow assisted dying?

Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria and France have all legalised assisted dying, and none restrict it to the terminally ill, unlike the proposals in England and Wales. Switzerland created a “right to die” in 1942 and is one of the few countries allowing foreigners access through organisations such as Dignitas in Zurich; more than 600 Britons have died there in two decades, including 43 last year. UK broadcaster Esther Rantzen has said she is too fragile to travel to the Dignitas clinic.

The Netherlands and Belgium legalised it more than 20 years ago for unbearable suffering from an incurable illness, including mental health issues, and have extended it to children, the only European countries to do so. Spain and Austria cover terminal illness and intolerable suffering; in Austria the drugs must be self-administered, in Spain a medical professional can administer them.

What is the position in the British Isles?

Parliament has rejected assisted dying proposals in England, Wales and Scotland. Jersey was given Royal Assent in July for a bill introduced by its government, which says the service will take about 18 months to set up, with a first assisted death possible late next year. Jersey will require one year of residency and will allow a doctor to administer a lethal dose intravenously, as happens in Spain, Canada, New Zealand and most of Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Where is assisted dying legal?

It is legal in 30 of the 50 US states plus Washington DC, in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria and France, as well as in Jersey.

What is the difference between assisted dying and euthanasia?

In jurisdictions such as Oregon, Switzerland and Austria the patient must self-administer the lethal medication. In Spain, Canada, New Zealand, most of Australia and Jersey, a doctor can administer a lethal dose intravenously, which amounts to voluntary euthanasia.

Has assisted dying been legalised in the UK?

No. Parliament has rejected assisted dying proposals in England, Wales and Scotland, but Jersey, in the British Isles, was given Royal Assent in July and its government says the service will take about 18 months to set up.

How many people has Oregon helped to die?

Since 1997, 5,520 people in Oregon have received a prescription for a lethal dose of medication and 3,691 deaths have followed, with around one in three of those prescribed the drugs not going ahead.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)