In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering death with dignity laws. Sometimes called "medical aid in dying," "assisted suicide," or "right to die" initiatives, these laws make it possible for terminally ill patients to use prescribed medication to end their lives peacefully rather than suffering a painful and protracted death.
The catalyst for greater national attention to this issue was 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, a woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to end her life in 2014. Maynard chose Oregon because California had not yet passed its aid-in-dying law, and Oregon is one of just a few other states to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.
In early 2016, spurred by Maynard's decision and the resulting publicity, Nebraska legislators introduced an aid-in-dying bill that failed to pass. In 2017, lawmakers considered a similar death with dignity bill, LB450, called the Nebraska Patient Choice at End of Life Act. However, the bill died in committee without ever receiving a hearing. If it had passed, the law would have functioned very much like Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, allowing terminally ill patients who met certain requirements to request and use life-ending medication.
Citizen groups are continuing to work to legalize aid in dying in Nebraska. If choice at the end of life is important to you, here are some things you can do:
"Death with dignity" and "medical aid in dying" are two of the most commonly accepted phrases describing the process by which a terminally ill person ingests prescribed medication to hasten death. You might also see the phrase "right to die" used in place of either of those terms. However, "right to die" is more accurately used in the context of directing one's own medical care—that is, refusing life-sustaining treatment such as a respirator or feeding tubes when permanently unconscious or close to death. In Nebraska or any other state, you have a right to provide such directions or give any other health care instructions by completing an advance health care directive.
For information about appointing a health care agent and making known your wishes for medical care at the end of life, see the Living Wills & Medical Powers of Attorney section of Nolo.com.
To find out more about the history and current status of death with dignity laws in the United States, visit the website of the Death With Dignity National Center.
Updated March 6, 2024
Ready to create your will?