A new report on the Death with Dignity Act shows more people in Washington requested lethal medication than any previous year.
Participation last year increased 17 percent from 2011, and overall 121 people were given the medication.
The report confirms at least 83 of the participants died after taking the medication.
The program participants were between ages 35 and 95, and most of them had cancer. More than 90 percent lived west of the Cascades.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, the Death with Dignity 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."
Data shows the 121 prescriptions last year were written by 87 different physicians and dispensed by 30 different pharmacists.
Since the state's Death With Dignity Act took effect in March 2009, there have been 376 terminally ill patients who received lethal medication doses. The Department of Health said many participants have told attending physicians that loss of autonomy was a primary reason to participate.
KIRO
