Oregon
Oregon (medical term)
Oregon (pronounced /ˈɔːrɪɡən/ ORR-ih-gən) is not only a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States, but also a term used in the medical field. The term is often associated with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, a law permitting physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill, competent adults, which was passed in 1994.
Etymology
The etymology of the term "Oregon" is uncertain. One theory is that it may come from the French word "ouragan" meaning "windstorm" or "hurricane," which was used to describe the powerful Chinook winds of the Columbia River. The term was later adopted in the medical field to refer to the aforementioned law.
Related Terms
- Physician-assisted suicide: A medical procedure in which a physician provides a potentially lethal medication to a patient upon the patient's request to end his or her life.
- Terminal illness: A disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time.
- Competent adult: A legal term used to denote capacity or fitness to make a rational decision.
- Death with Dignity Act: A law that allows terminally ill adults to request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their death.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Oregon
- Wikipedia's article - Oregon
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