Death With Dignity in Utah

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of states considering death with dignity laws. Sometimes called "assisted suicide," "right to die," or "medical aid in dying" 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 was one of just a few states that allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.

Utah's 2022 End of Life Option Act

Spurred by Maynard's decision and the resulting publicity, Utah lawmakers began introducing aid-in-dying legislation in 2015. In 2022, the legislature considered a death with dignity bill, HB74, called the Utah End of Life Options Act. However, the bill failed to advance and died in committee at the end of the legislation session. If it had passed, the law would have functioned much like Oregon's Death With Dignity Act, allowing terminally ill patients who met certain requirements to request and use life-ending medication.

Utah's Ban on Assisted Suicide

During the 2018 session, the Utah legislature passed a law amending the state's manslaughter statute, making it a crime for a health care professional to intentionally and knowingly prescribe medication intended to cause death. (Utah Code § 76-5-205 (2024).) The proposed End of Life Options Act, though, would have provided an exception to that law.

Advocating for a Death With Dignity Act in Utah

Citizen groups are continuing to work to legalize aid in dying in Utah. If choice at the end of life is important to you, here are some things you can do:

• Contact your representatives in the state legislature and encourage them to support death with dignity in Utah.
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
• Tell your family, friends, health care providers, and others why you believe terminally ill patients should be allowed to choose aid in dying.
• Search for—or start—a community advocacy group. The Compassion & Choices website can help you connect with others in your area.

Making a Living Will or an Advance Directive

"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 Utah 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.

Learn More

To find out more about the history and current status of medical aid in dying laws in the United States, visit the website of the Death With Dignity National Center.

Updated March 7, 2024