As we end the year, it’s natural to want to jump right into the 2025 legislative session. After all, some states like Indiana and Missouri have already prefiled bills for next year!

But let’s back up and give 2024 the flowers it deserves.

We faced legislative victories and challenges in the fight for the Death with Dignity movement this year. Medical aid in dying legislation was introduced in 23 states, reflecting the growing nationwide support for compassionate end-of-life options. Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington introduced amendments to improve access for qualified patients, while Virginia, Nevada, and New Hampshire made legislative progress like we’ve never seen before.

Here are additional highlights from the 2024 legislative session:

  • Colorado passed SB068, the first amendment to the Colorado End of Life Options Act since it became law in 2016. This amendment is a big win for patients and their families. It reduces the waiting period from 15 days to 7 days, allows providers to waive the waiting period if the patient is not likely to survive more than 48 hours and meets all other qualifications, and adds advanced practice nurse practitioners as evaluators and prescribers. These changes make it easier for terminally ill Coloradans to access the care they need when they need it most.
  • In New York, we strengthened our partnership with The Completed Life Initiative (CLI) and the Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine (AADM) to counter a misleading poll our opponents tried to use against us. We acted quickly and partnered with YouGov to launch our own poll at the start of the legislative session. The results spoke volumes: 72% of New Yorkers support medical aid in dying. This collaboration demonstrated the power of our partnerships and our ability to swiftly correct the wrongs caused by our opponents.
  • This year, we also celebrated a major milestone – 30 years of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. To mark the occasion, we highlighted 30 Milestones Achieved Since the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, a reflection on the progress made possible by Oregon’s groundbreaking legislation. These achievements remind us that we have been leading the end-of-life movement for three decades, and we have only grown stronger in our fight to give terminally ill individuals across the country access to Death with Dignity.
  • In Delaware, the Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options law (HB 140) made history by passing both chambers with bipartisan support for the first time ever. We supported advocates in sending out more than 750 emails asking legislators and Governor Carney to support HB 140. Disappointingly, Governor Carney vetoed the bill—disregarding a decade of advocacy by terminally ill Delawareans and supporters. We will continue to fight alongside Delawareans to pass this legislation again, and we will hold accountable those politicians who prioritize personal religious beliefs over the overwhelming will of their constituents.
  • We faced a tough battle in West Virginia this year with Amendment One, which narrowly passed by less than 1%. This marked the first time Death with Dignity has been explicitly banned in a state constitution. Despite deceptive tactics from opponents, our campaign mobilized over 329,000 West Virginians to vote in favor of aid in dying. We ran an exceptional campaign, launching targeted multimedia advertisements and working closely on the ground with local supporters, making it one of the closest races in the country. While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, the fight in West Virginia highlighted our ability to form strong partnerships and organize quickly in the face of our opposition’s insidious tactics.

2024 has taught us that every setback is a call to action—an opportunity to mobilize our strong supporters who want aid in dying laws in the U.S. just as much as we do. This year has also equipped us with the tools and resilience needed to protect Death with Dignity and advance medical aid in dying nationwide in 2025.

We will always post breaking news as states introduce and move through the legislature, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X and sign up for our email alerts here.