Euthanasia and the Law

During the 20th Century, efforts to change government policies on euthanasia in the 20th century have met limited success in Western countries. Euthanasia policies have been developed by a variety of NGOs, most notably medical associations and advocacy organizations.
Euthanasia is illegal in most of the United States. Attempts to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide resulted in ballot initiatives and "legislation bills" within the United States of America in the last 20 years. For example, Washington voters saw Ballot Initiative 1119 in 1991, California placed Proposition 161 on the ballot in 1992, Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act in 1997, Michigan included Proposal B in their ballot in 1998, and Washington's Initiative 1000 on the ballot in 2008.