CNA Staff, Aug 28, 2025 /
09:30 am
Assisted suicide has become legal in a growing number of states since it was first adopted in 1997 in Oregon.
CNA has released three new interactive maps to show where each state in the U.S. stands on life issues — the protection of unborn life, the death penalty, and assisted suicide. The maps will be updated as new information on each issue becomes available.
Below is an analysis of the map that shows where each state stands on assisted suicide laws as of August 2025.
What is assisted suicide?
Assisted suicide — sometimes also called physician-assisted suicide — is legal in 10 states as well as the District of Columbia. Assisted suicide is when a doctor or medical professional provides a patient with drugs to end his or her own life. Assisted suicide is not the same as euthanasia, which is the direct killing of a patient by a medical professional.
The term euthanasia includes voluntary euthanasia, a practice legal in some parts of the world when the patient requests to die; involuntary euthanasia is when a person is murdered against his or her wishes; and nonvoluntary euthanasia is when the person is not capable of giving consent.
Assisted suicide is legal in some U.S. states and around the world, while voluntary euthanasia is legal in a limited number of countries including Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal. In Belgium and the Netherlands, minors can be euthanized if they request it.
In Canada, patients with any serious illness, disease, or disability may be eligible for what is known as medical aid in dying (MAID), even when their condition is not terminal or fatal. In 2027 Canada plans to allow MAID for those with mental health conditions; Belgium, Luxembourg, and Colombia already allow for this.
While most U.S. states have laws against assisted suicide, a growing number of state legislatures have attempted to legalize it.
Where does your state stand on assisted suicide?
Alabama: In 2017, Alabama passed legislation making it a crime for health care workers to administer life-ending drugs, in addition to pre-1997 legislation banning assistance of suicides.
Alaska: Alaska failed to pass laws enabling assisted suicide in 2017. Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Arizona: Arizona still has pre-1997 laws prohibiting assisted suicide in effect, but legislators have tried to legalize assisted suicide for years. A 2025 bill did not advance.
Arkansas: In 2019, Arkansas considered legalizing assisted suicide, but the bill did not go through. Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
California: In 2016, California legalized assisted suicide.
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Colorado: In 2016, Colorado legalized assisted suicide via a proposition passed by voters.
Connecticut: Connecticut has repeatedly proposed legislation to legalize assisted suicide, but none has passed. Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Delaware: In 2025, Delaware legalized assisted suicide.
Florida: Proposed bills to legalize assisted suicide in Florida have not advanced in recent years. Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Georgia: In 2012, Georgia passed a law making assisted suicide a felony, renewing its legislation against assisted suicide.
Hawaii: In 2019, Hawaii legalized assisted suicide.
Idaho: In 2011, Idaho made assisted suicide a felony, renewing its legislation against assisted suicide.
Illinois: In 2025, a bill to legalize assisted suicide in Illinois stalled and will cross over to the 2026 session. Legislators have made efforts to pass pro-death legislation, but pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Indiana: While various bills to legalize assisted suicide have been proposed in recent years, Indiana’s pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Iowa: While various bills to legalize assisted suicide have been proposed in recent years, Iowa’s pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Kansas: In 2011, Kansas passed a law criminalizing assisted suicide, renewing its legislation against assisted suicide.
Kentucky: While various bills to legalize assisted suicide have been proposed in recent years, Kentucky’s pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place.
Louisiana: Louisiana’s pre-1997 law against assisted suicide is still in place.
Maine: In 2019, Maine legalized assisted suicide.
Maryland: Maryland has yet to legalize assisted suicide, though legislators have made attempts to in recent years. The state has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide.
Massachusetts: In 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that there is no right to assisted suicide in the commonwealth.
Michigan: Michigan has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide. Legislators, however, have pushed to legalize assisted suicide in recent years.
Minnesota: While various bills to legalize assisted suicide have been proposed in recent years, Minnesota’s pre-1997 law against assisted suicide is still in place.
Mississippi: Mississippi’s pre-1997 law against assisted suicide is still in place.
Missouri: While various bills to legalize assisted suicide have been proposed in recent years, Missouri’s pre-1997 law against assisted suicide is still in place.
Montana: Assisted suicide is a legal gray area in Montana. While legislators have not made assisted suicide legal, a 2009 Montana Supreme Court ruling said that a doctor can use patient consent in defense in a homicide case.
Nebraska: Assisting suicide is a felony in Nebraska.
Nevada: Nevada does not authorize assisted suicide. The governor recently vetoed a bill that would have legalized assisted suicide.
New Hampshire: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in New Hampshire. Legislators have pushed for assisted suicide legislation in recent years.
New Jersey: In 2019, New Jersey legalized assisted suicide.
New Mexico: New Mexico legalized assisted suicide in 2021.
New York: New York legislators approved an assisted suicide law that is awaiting signature by the New York governor.
North Carolina: North Carolina does not have a law legalizing assisted suicide.
North Dakota: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in North Dakota. Aiding a suicide is a felony in the state. Legislators have pushed to legalize assisted suicide in recent years.
Ohio: Assisting suicide is against Ohio law. Ohio added laws against assisting suicide in 2003 and 2017.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide. Oklahoma code explicitly states that it does not condone assisted suicide.
Oregon: Oregon became the first state to implement assisted suicide legislation in 1997.
Pennsylvania: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in Pennsylvania. Legislators have attempted to legalize assisted suicide in recent years.
Rhode Island: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in Rhode Island. Assisting a suicide is a felony in the state.
South Carolina: South Carolina has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide. South Carolina has never officially considered legalizing assisted suicide and has declared in recent years that health care professionals who participate in assisted suicide may have their licenses revoked.
South Dakota: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in South Dakota. The state does not condone euthanasia, “mercy killing,” or assisted suicide.
Tennessee: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in Tennessee. Assisting suicide is a class D felony in the state.
Texas: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in Texas. Aiding someone in committing suicide is a felony in the state if it results in bodily harm or causes death.
Utah: Utah has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide. Legislators have attempted to legalize assisted suicide without success. The state amended its manslaughter statute to criminalize the prescription of medication intended to cause death.
Vermont: Vermont legalized assisted suicide in 2013.
Virginia: Virginia has renewed its legislation against assisted suicide since 1997, the year Oregon legalized assisted suicide. Virginia explicitly bans assisted suicide, and health care professionals who assist a suicide are subject to the suspension or removal of their licenses.
Washington: Washington state legalized assisted suicide in 2008.
West Virginia: West Virginia approved a constitutional amendment in November 2024 prohibiting medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing, becoming the first state to do so.
Wisconsin: Pre-1997 laws against assisted suicide are still in place in Wisconsin. State statutes currently define any case of assisting suicide as a Class H felony.
Wyoming: Wyoming law does not condone assisted suicide, though legislators have attempted to legalize assisted suicide in recent years.
Washington, D.C.: Washington, D.C., legalized assisted suicide in 2017.
Where does the Church stand on assisted suicide?
The Catholic Church condemns both assisted suicide and euthanasia, instead encouraging palliative care, which means supporting patients with pain management and care as the end of their lives approaches. Additionally, the Church advocates for a “special respect” for anyone with a disability or serious health condition (CCC, 2276).
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder” and “gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the respect due to the living God, his Creator” (CCC, 2324).
Any action or lack of action that intentionally “causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator” (CCC, 2277).
Catholic teaching also states that patients and doctors are not required to do everything possible to avoid death, but if a life has reached its natural conclusion and medical intervention would not be beneficial, the decision to “forego extraordinary or disproportionate means” to keep a dying person alive is not euthanasia, as St. John Paul II noted in Evangelium Vitae.
Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
