The Law
The Washington Death with Dignity Act, Initiative 1000, codified as RCW 70.245, passed on November 4, 2008 and went into effect on March 5, 2009. This act allows terminally ill adults seeking to end their life to request lethal doses of medication from medical and osteopathic physicians. These terminally ill patients must be Washington residents who have less than six months to live.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Death with Dignity Act
Death with Dignity Act forms for patients and providers
Annual Reporting
What information is collected and reported?
Under the Death with Dignity Act, the Department of Health collects information from healthcare providers, reviews this information for compliance with reporting requirements, contacts the healthcare provider if the information is incomplete or inadequate, and produces an annual statistical report. The information collected from healthcare providers is not a public record and will only be released as summarized data in the annual statistical report.
Reports
Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports
End-of-life Resources
You can find information on end of life care for patients and families on the Washington State Hospital Association website.
Additional information regarding Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) and other end-of-life resources is on the Washington State Medical Association's website.