Death with dignity, or aid in dying laws currently exist in The District of Columbia and six states within the United States: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Oregon was the first of the six to establish a law in October 1997.

 

In 2017, Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, introduced House Bill 1561, the End of Life Options Act, to the Indiana General Assembly, but the bill failed to receive a hearing.

 

During the 2018 session, Pierce authored HB 1157, a similar aid in dying bill, that never received a hearing, but gained media attention at a press conference held at the Indiana Statehouse in January.