End of Life Options DC Lobbies to Keep Death with Dignity in Washington DC

Washington, DC, Jan 8, 2026 -  House Republicans are seeking to overturn the Death with Dignity Act in the District of Columbia and ban the city from ever re-enacting a law that gives the terminally ill the option of choosing a peaceful death. 

End of Life Options DC (EOLODC), a non-profit group that supports choice for the terminally ill, will hold a Lobby Day on Tuesday, January 13, on Capitol Hill to put a stop to the House-led attempts to use the budget process to limit the rights of DC residents. 

The non-profit, which educates patients, families, and clinicians about the DC law and works to ensure dignity, compassion, and personal choice in care at the end of life, so far have meetings scheduled with three Senators and three House members. 

“The people in the nation’s capital deserve the same choices as the more than 100 million citizens in 13 states where medical aid in dying (MAID) is now legal,” said Jane Euler, EOLODC co-founder and board chair.  

“For nearly a decade, the Death with Dignity Act has empowered DC patients and their families to have meaningful end-of-life conversations, and to make deeply personal decisions, free from political interference. We will work to ensure Congress does not strip those privacy rights away,” she said. 

The House last September approved a rider to the Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill that would repeal DC’s Death with Dignity Act and forbid the city from ever reenacting the law again.  The vote marked the fifth time House Republicans have attempted to overturn the DC law since its enactment in 2017, but this represents its most aggressive action to date. The bill is now before the Senate. 

The DC law enables terminally ill patients diagnosed by two doctors with six months or less to live to request medications that would allow them to choose to end their suffering peacefully, on their own terms. The DC Health Department says 24 patients utilized the law between 2017 and 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, representing fewer than 1 percent of people who died during that time period.

“We urge Congress to respect DC’s right to self-governance and to remove this harmful language from the appropriations bill. The inclusion of this rider not only undermines the autonomy of DC residents but also threatens access to compassionate, patient-centered care for those facing the most difficult moments of their lives,” Euler said. 

Medical aid in dying (MAID) is a legal and ethical option that has been safely practiced in the District for almost a decade and for even longer in many other jurisdictions.  It is supported by Americans nationwide, including major medical organizations.  A 2015 poll conducted by Lake Research showed that the 67 percent or two thirds of District residents supported MAID and 76 percent agreed that it is “my choice to make the best medical decisions for myself in consultation with my doctor, my family, and my faith, including my end of life decisions.”

At End of Life Options DC, we are committed to educating patients, families, and clinicians about this law and ensuring its protections remain in place. We stand with our community and with all who believe that dignity, compassion, and personal choice should guide care at the end of life.

https://www.eolodc.org/

For interviews, please contact: 

Jane Euler – EOLODC Co-founder and board chair     (703) 401 2778

Stella Dawson-Klein – EOLODC board member whose wife used DC law  (202) 230 7832 stellahdawson@gmail.com