Delaware is now the latest state to pass legislation allowing doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication to sick patients.
Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed the bill into law on May 20, 2025, after a nearly entirely party-line vote in the state's legislature. All Republican members of the Delaware General Assembly, along with a handful of Democrats, voted against the bill.
Meyer noted the path to legalize assisted suicide in Delaware has been "a long journey." In 2024, the then-Gov. John Carney (D) vetoed a similar bill when it was sent to his desk for signature.
It took "nearly a decade" for assisted suicide to come to Delaware, said Meyer. He praised proponents of the practice for their "courage" in pushing the legislation.
Pope Francis frequently spoke against the "march" of euthanasia. In contrast, he advocated for the elderly, emphasizing how necessary they are for cultures.
In 2019, he noted:
The practice of euthanasia, which has already become legal in several states, only seemingly aims to encourage personal freedom; in reality it is based on a utilitarian view of the person, who becomes useless or can be equated to a cost, if from the medical point of view he or she has no hope of improvement or can no longer avoid pain.
For Francis, the right outlook on euthanasia is relatively simple: "Let's leave killing to the beasts."
Pope Leo XIV has not specifically mentioned euthanasia in his first almost-three weeks as pope, however among his first appointments was the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Current restrictions
Under Delaware's new law, an adult person with a six-month terminal prognosis will be permitted to receive lethal dosages of medication for the purposes of ending their lives. A person seeking to end their lives will have to make two verbal and one written requests for the medication, said the bill.
The law further specifies that a person cannot make the request for the medication on behalf of another person, and that age and disability is not a sole qualifying factor in eligibility. Additionally, the bill states "mental illness or mental health condition is not a qualifying condition" for assisted suicide, and a person with a mental illness may be deemed ineligible for assisted suicide due to their condition.
The law will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
With the passage of this law, Delaware joins California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington in legalizing assisted suicide.
Several other states, including New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois, are currently considering bills that would make the practice legal in those states as well.
Downhill
Various places that allow assisted suicide have made the requirements less stringent after the initial legalization. For example, in Canada last October, Quebec initiated a new rule that allows patients pursuing Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), another term for assisted suicide, to make an “advance request.” The policy allows for those with terminal diagnoses to prearrange their own death in the event that their condition worsens to a point at which they can no longer request MAiD.
In the Netherlands in 2023, modified regulations allowed for Dutch children between the ages of 1 and 12 to seek euthanasia in cases of terminal illness and "unbearable suffering."
