Portland, Oregon, September 7, 2023 – Following successful efforts in Oregon and Vermont this year, patients and physicians from New Jersey and surrounding states have filed a lawsuit seeking repeal of New Jersey’s residency requirement for its Death with Dignity law.

The suit, led by Compassion & Choices, alleges that the law unfairly denies out-of-state residents access to services within New Jersey – a restriction that plaintiffs say violates the U.S. Constitution.

“Every state that removes this residency requirement means every terminally ill person has this additional end-of-life option. We hope the New Jersey Attorney General adopts a similar stance to what we saw in Oregon, where the state quickly settled the lawsuit and successfully urged the Legislature to repeal the residency requirement,” said Geoff Sugerman, National Political Strategist for Death with Dignity.

This lawsuit would remove a barrier to patient access while still maintaining the safeguards that ensure the patient is capable of making health care decisions, is able to self-administer the medication, and is acting completely voluntarily.

For media inquiries, please contact Elia Lawatsch: [email protected].