Μake us preferred on Google About 400 million people currently live in nations that have made assisted dying legal. Countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Austria have all updated their laws in recent years, and some now extend eligibility beyond people who are terminally ill. France, for example, passed a law last month allowing adults with incurable, unbearably painful conditions to receive aid in dying. Even so, most places in the world still prohibit medical assistance to die, and where it is permitted, the rules differ significantly.
United States
In the US, 13 states plus Washington DC currently allow some form of assisted dying, sometimes called assisted suicide by critics. Oregon pioneered the practice back in 1997 and has since become the template many other states have followed. Under Oregon’s system, only terminally ill adults with full mental capacity who are expected to die within six months can qualify, and two physicians must approve the request. Since the law took effect, roughly 5,500 people have received a prescription for lethal medication, and about 3,700 have gone on to use it.
A 2025 report found cancer was the underlying condition for 61 percent of applicants, with neurological diseases like ALS accounting for 14 percent and heart disease for 11 percent. Among the 400 people who used the medication last year, nearly nine in ten cited losing independence as a major reason, and other common concerns included loss of dignity, losing control over bodily functions, fear of burdening loved ones, poor pain management, and the cost of ongoing treatment.
As in other US states, patients in Oregon must take the medication themselves rather than have it administered by someone else, similar to what’s being proposed for England and Wales. About a third of people who get a prescription never end up using it.
Supporters of assisted dying in England and Wales often point to Oregon because eligibility has stayed limited to terminally ill adults since the law began. Critics counter that other restrictions have loosened over time, most notably the removal of a residency requirement, meaning people can now travel from outside Oregon to use the service. The number of assisted deaths has also climbed steadily.
Canada
Opponents of assisted dying often point to Canada as an example of scope gradually widening once a law is in place. Medical assistance in dying, known as MAID, started in 2016 for terminally ill patients only. By 2021 it had been broadened to cover people suffering unbearably from an irreversible illness or disability, even without a terminal diagnosis. Plans to extend it further to include mental illness have been put on hold.
Critics argue that each expansion increases risk for disabled and vulnerable people, and usage has grown sharply. Roughly one in 20 deaths in Canada now involves medical assistance, compared with about one in 100 in Oregon.
Europe
Assisted dying is now legal in several European countries, including Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, Portugal, and most recently France. Rules differ substantially: some countries permit it for people who aren’t terminally ill, while others, France included, limit it to adults nearing the end of life with serious incurable conditions.
David Goodall, 104, reacts during a news conference a day before he intends to take his own life in assisted suicide, in Basel, Switzerland May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Portugal passed its law in 2023, though legal and regulatory holdups mean it still isn’t operating. In 2025, Tuscany became the first Italian region to set up a formal process for medically assisted suicide, following earlier constitutional court rulings in both Italy and Germany that lifted criminal penalties for assisted suicide under certain conditions.
The Netherlands and Belgium legalized assisted dying over two decades ago for people enduring unbearable suffering from incurable illness, mental health conditions included, and both later extended eligibility to children, making them the only European countries to do so. Both also permit euthanasia, where a doctor administers the lethal dose directly.
Spain and Austria legalized assisted dying in 2021 and 2022 respectively, covering both terminal illness and intolerable suffering. Austria requires patients to take the medication themselves, while Spain allows a medical professional to administer it.
Parliament has rejected assisted dying proposals in England, Wales, and Scotland so far. Still, one part of the British Isles has already legalized it: Jersey received Royal Assent for its bill in July. Unlike proposals at Westminster and Holyrood, Jersey’s government introduced the legislation itself and expects it to take about 18 months to launch, with the first assisted death possible late next year. A one-year residency requirement is meant to discourage so-called death tourism.
What sets Jersey apart most from the rest of the British Isles is how death can be carried out. Eligible individuals will be able to have a doctor administer a lethal dose intravenously, the same approach used in Spain, Canada, New Zealand, and most of Australia, a method that amounts to voluntary euthanasia and has become the preferred option wherever it’s offered as a choice.
By contrast, the proposals in Westminster, Holyrood, and Tynwald (the Isle of Man’s parliament) all require self-administration, typically by swallowing the lethal dose. Tynwald passed its own assisted dying bill back in March of last year, but as a UK Crown Dependency, like Jersey, it needed Royal Assent to become law. The UK Ministry of Justice declined to grant that assent earlier this year, so Tynwald has since sent an updated version of the bill back to the UK government for reconsideration. If it’s approved, the Isle of Man hopes to have the service running next year, subject to a five-year residency requirement.
Assisted dying campaigners react in front of the Houses of Parliament as lawmakers have voted to reject plans to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people, in London, Britain, September 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor
Australia and New Zealand
Voluntary assisted dying has become legal across most of Australia over the past several years, with the Northern Territory becoming the last jurisdiction to pass legislation just last month.
New Zealand requires patients to be terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less. Much of Australia extends that window to 12 months for people with neurodegenerative conditions. In both countries, patients can take the lethal medication themselves, or a doctor or nurse can administer it, typically through an intravenous injection.
Source: BBC
