Delaware Becomes 12th Jurisdiction to Legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide

(Oregon Right to Life) — Delaware Governor Matt Meyer on Tuesday signed HB 140 into law, making Delaware the 12th jurisdiction to legalize physician-assisted suicide. 

Former governor John Carney previously vetoed HB 140 in September 2024, stating, “During my time as Governor, and since this legislation was first introduced, I have consistently opposed a state law that would allow physician-assisted suicide.”

“I am fundamentally and morally opposed to state law enabling someone, even under tragic and painful circumstances, to take their own life,” Carney added. 

But just a few short weeks after coming into office, current Governor Matt Meyer fulfilled his campaign promise to sign HB 140 into law.

RELATED: Report: Oregon Assisted Suicide Prescriptions Increased 8% Last Year After 30% Spike in 2023

The legalization of physician-assisted suicide in Delaware means that eleven states – including Oregon – and the District of Columbia now permit physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to the terminally ill. 

While proponents of physician-assisted suicide celebrated Meyer’s signing of HB 140, opponents condemned the move, highlighting concerns about patient rights, medical ethics, and protections for the medically vulnerable. 

“We are deeply saddened that the assisted suicide bill has been signed into law in Delaware,” said Lois Anderson, Executive Director of Oregon Right to Life. “In Oregon, we have seen how legalization leads to expansion and a lack of oversight. The not-so-subtle suggestion that some lives aren’t worth living. 

“Every life has inherent dignity and worth – especially in moments of suffering – and our laws should reflect that truth,” Anderson added. 

Jessica Rodgers, Coalition Director of the Patients’ Rights Action Fund, expressed “deep regret” in an email to supporters sharing the news. “We know how close this vote was – there is no overwhelming mandate for assisted suicide. This was the first state in four years to pass and sign this legislation into law, and they did so by the slimmest of margins,” Rodgers stated. 

Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life, responded to the signing of HB 140 in a statement: “Delaware’s new law puts lives at risk. Assisted suicide laws offer no compassion, no hope, and no help for vulnerable members of our society.”

“The horror of assisted suicide is that many of the most vulnerable in our society are pressured to ‘choose’ assisted suicide which normalizes a culture of death—devaluing the lives of the disabled, elderly, and chronically ill,” Tobias continued. “As society attitudes shift, legalization creates a ‘duty to die’ mindset and puts our most vulnerable members of society at risk.”

READ: Mental Health Professionals Share Reasons for Opposing Oregon’s Radical Assisted Suicide Bill

Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, reacted to the news in a thread on X. “There is nothing ‘compassionate’ or ‘dignified’ about assisted suicide or euthanasia,” Rose posted. “ There is nothing ‘merciful’ about assisted suicide. It doesn’t ease suffering. It eliminates the sufferer. It turns doctors—healers—into killers.” 

Oregon was the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide in 1997. According to the Oregon Health Authority, 4,881 prescriptions have been written for physician-assisted suicide, and 3,243 people have been reported to end their lives through assisted suicide in Oregon.