Issuu

IN DEFENSE OF DIGNITY ANNUAL REPORT 2025–2026

DEFENSE IS IN OUR DNA It has been a momentous year for me— the type of year that stands out in contrast to the typical blur of middle age. A little background: I was adopted at birth, and this year I connected with my birth family for the first time. The similarities my birth family and I have uncovered are uncanny. We started our lives in Iowa, and we all ended up in Oregon. We have ridden our bicycles all over the world. We are leaders, builders, and problem solvers. All this has made me wonder: What exactly is in our DNA and what is learned? My hankering toward politics was learned during the time I spent with my grandparents, who were fierce union activists. Growing up, I spent countless meetings in union halls and stuffy church basements, listening to people in brown polyester suits talking politics. Alongside my nurtured love of politics comes an innate willingness to take risks. I can be a rabble-rouser when I believe something is deeply unfair, drawing inspiration from several seminal texts—Rules for Radicals, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and The New Jim Crow. I recently celebrated my 20th anniversary as CEO and Executive Director of Death with Dignity. When I joined the organization, we had been through ten years of federal court litigation and were facing a hostile administration. Oregon pharmacists and physicians were threatened with prosecution by the U.S. Attorney General for their lawful participation in Death with Dignity. In the end, we prevailed at the Supreme Court 6-3, in Chief Justice John Roberts’ first case—Gonzales v. Oregon. 2

The government stood down, allowing our movement to turn to an offensive position by enacting laws in other states. We’ve been in that position for 20 years. Fourteen jurisdictions now permit medical aid in dying (MAID). And I can proudly say that I’ve had a leadership or supporting role in each of the laws enacted since that SCOTUS decision. Now, our opponents are back. The same zealots who don’t believe in MAID for themselves are organizing to dismantle what we’ve built. These aren’t everyday Catholics. They are far-right religious conservatives who believe it’s the role of the government to impose their regressive values on all of us. They see an opportunity in the current makeup of the Supreme Court and this administration. They’re mad we’ve had 20 years of wins. Defense is in our DNA. I’ve led this organization through one major fight with a hostile federal administration, and I’m prepared to do it again, with all of you at my side. We believe that autonomy does not end when illness begins. We believe the right to make decisions about your body and death belongs to the individual—not to medical institutions, not to the courts, and certainly not to strangers with an agenda. Together, we will prevail.

Dr. Peg Sandeen Chief Executive Officer

IMPACT

Your donations fund our work to make real impact, enabling us to bring the voices of terminally ill individuals and their families directly to policymakers and legislators.

44 PERSONAL DIGNITY50 GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM STORIES

DELIVERED OVER

5 NEW STATES

TO LAWMAKERS ACROSS

MAKING IT A TOTAL OF

24,500 SUPPORTERS 137,000 LETTERS 22 STATES

JOINED OUR

RECEIVED OVER

620,000 VIEWS

21 STATES

OUR SOCIAL WORK TEAM RESPONDED TO

OVER

MILLION OVER 2,000 108 PEOPLE PATIENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS

IN THE NEWS

SEEKING INFORMATION ABOUT MAID

LIVE IN A JURISDICTION WHERE MAID IS LEGAL

“Our society has reached a pivotal moment where we are able to have open and honest conversations about death; where we can recognize that for some patients, the option of medical aid in dying provides them the freedom to make their own, deeply personal end-of-life decisions.” – Peg Sandeen, CEO Death with Dignity

“This has been a long, often painful journey, but Death with Dignity has fought alongside patients and families every step of the way. New York State is ready for this law. Today, we honor the terminally ill New Yorkers and loved ones who advocated for themselves, and for the dignity and peace of those who will face this journey in the future.” – Elaine Fong, CMO Death with Dignity 3

IMPLEMENTATION OUR ADVOCACY CONTINUES For over 30 years, our organization has tirelessly worked to ensure medical aid-in-dying (MAID) laws are implemented in ways consistent with the practice of medicine, the U.S. Constitution, and our mission of expanding end-of-life options. As legal challenges tested newly passed laws in Delaware, New York, and Illinois, we remained steadfast in our work and the challenges we face ahead.

DELAWARE: AFFIRMING THE RIGHT TO DIE WITH DIGNITY After nearly a decade of advocacy—and more than 9,000 letters and testimonies sent last year to Delaware legislators and Governor Matthew Meyer—the Ron Silverio/ Heather Block End of Life Options Act took effect January 1, 2026, giving terminally ill Delawarean adults the option of Death with Dignity. A month earlier, opponents went to federal court to try to stop the law, filing Curran v. Meyer. Judge Gregory B. Williams dismissed the challenge on December 30, 2025, ruling that plaintiffs could not demonstrate imminent harm and therefore lacked standing to sue. Plaintiffs appealed, but the law remains in effect. Each time the courts affirm a MAID law, we strengthen the foundation for the next law and make it harder for our opponents to turn back the clock. READ OUR DELAWARE PRESS RELEASE >

NEW YORK: A DECADE IN THE FIGHT FOR DIGNITY

ILLINOIS: A NEW LAW, A NEW FRONT

On August 5, 2026, New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act took effect, creating access to greater end-of-life choices for more than 20 million New Yorkers. More than a decade in the making, this historic victory was powered by patients, advocates, and legislators. Death with Dignity was there every step of the way, from consulting on the bill, mobilizing support, and navigating the legal and implementation challenges that followed.

In December 2025, Illinois became the first Midwestern state to authorize MAID when Governor JB Pritzker signed the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, known as Deb’s Law. The law took effect on September 12, 2026, but not without a fight.

Our movement prevailed, officially making New York the 13th U.S. jurisdiction to implement medical aid in dying for eligible, terminally ill adults. With this victory, we have proven together what sustained advocacy, coalition-building, and true grit can accomplish.

Despite these challenges, Deb’s Law took effect as scheduled. We will continue working alongside advocates, patients, families, and healthcare professionals to defend the law and help ensure Illinois’ promise of end-of-life choice becomes reality.

READ OUR NEW YORK PRESS RELEASE >

READ OUR ILLINOIS PRESS RELEASE >

Opponents launched three federal challenges: Kirchoff v. Treto, Payne v. Pritzker, and Carmelite Sisters for the Before the law went into effect, opponents Aged and Infirm v. Prince. In Kirchoff filed two federal lawsuits aiming to and Carmelite, a stipulated temporary undermine the law. In the first case, Judge restraining order exempted the named Orelia E. Merchant dismissed the lawsuit for plaintiffs and certain Catholic healthcare lack of imminent harm. In Carmelite Sisters for entities from enforcement, but did not the Aged and Infirm v. James, Judge Anne M. block the law statewide. In Payne, the Nardacci approved an agreement protecting plaintiffs failed to show harm and lacked healthcare workers with religious objections standing to file the lawsuit, clearing from being required to participate—without another hurdle for Illinois to become the blocking the law from going into effect. 14th jurisdiction to implement MAID.

MAID IN AMERICA DEATH WITH DIGNITY IS EXPANDING AT RECORD RATES. SO IS OUR FIGHT TO PROTECT IT. In the past year alone, three more states passed Death with Dignity laws, bringing the number of Americans living in a jurisdiction where medical aid in dying is legal to more than 108 million, a 45% increase. This isn’t a trend. It’s a clear and growing message: people want greater control over their final days and the freedom to make deeply personal decisions about how they die.

Where Death with Dignity is Legal: Washington, Oregon, California, Hawai’i, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, Maine, Washington, D.C. States Actively Under Threat 6

In the past year alone:

3 STATES

PASSED MAID LAWS INCLUDING THE FIRST MIDWEST STATE

45% MORE

AMERICANS NOW LIVE IN A JURISDICTION WHERE MAID IS LEGAL COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

OVER 108 MILLION

PEOPLE NOW LIVE IN A JURISDICTION WHERE MAID IS LEGAL

8 LAWSUITS ACROSS 5 STATES

WERE LAUNCHED BY OUR OPPONENTS, AIMING TO DISMANTLE MAID LAWS

They said we couldn’t die on our terms even though we had a terminal illness. We changed that. They said “not our state,” and we added another, and another. They said they’ll sue us wherever we go. But no law has been overturned. You and Death with Dignity? We believe we are strength in numbers. We are the people, the movement, and the fight for those we love. We believe we are the force that impacts legislation and touches lives. Together, we are the power that will prevail.

DEFENSE WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. WE KNOW HOW TO WIN. As medical aid in dying has become legal in more states, opponents have intensified their efforts to undo that progress. Over the past three years, our opponents have again turned to courts, spreading disinformation to disguise their religious objection to MAID. Through a series of coordinated lawsuits—beginning in California in 2023 and now involving federal district courts in Colorado, Delaware, New York, and Illinois— opponents aim to create a legal pathway for a case to reach the Supreme Court, where the current majority could ban MAID laws nationwide. Defending Dignity is our program committed to exposing the forces behind these attacks and challenging misleading claims with facts. Opponents may try to obscure their religious agenda, but we help the public see through the facade. We’ve been here before. When Oregon passed the nation’s first Death with Dignity law in 1994, opponents spent more than a decade trying to overturn it, both in the U.S. Supreme Court and with Oregon voters who decisively rejected a repeal in 1997. That experience taught us that when people use confusion and fear as a policy tool, we will always respond with the facts.

Clarity is our superpower. Defending Dignity also means shaping the future of end-of-life care. Death and dying remain too often shrouded in silence, creating fertile ground for fear and misinformation. We bring the experiences of people facing terminal illness directly into conversations with lawmakers, healthcare professionals, advocates, and the public, while giving our community the knowledge and tools to fiercely advocate for themselves. History teaches us that the fight doesn’t end when a law passes. Our opponents persist and so do we—our organization is building a movement strong enough to defend the freedoms we’ve won. Want the full picture? We’ve covered our opponents’ latest tactics in our newsletters over the past few months. Read our blog to catch up on who they are, what they’re doing, and how we’re fighting back. READ OUR DEFENDING DIGNITY SERIES >

2026 FINANCIALS Transparency is one of our key values, and we work hard to be a trusted steward of the contributions we receive. This goal unfolds with complexity, as we are responsible not only for our organizations, but also the well-being of the entire Death with Dignity movement.

Next year, we anticipate a bigger focus on the long-term resources we need to defend Death with Dignity; at the same time, we will aggressively work to bring medical aid in dying to more jurisdictions.

1,000,000 750,000 500,000 250,000 0

Contributions and Grants

Investment Income, Net

EXPENSES Consolidated Statements of Activities

Your contributions power our mission, and we endeavor, year over year, to maintain your trust.

REVENUE Consolidated Statements of Activities

A direct extract from the FY2025-2026 audited financial statements is reproduced here. This year, our assets, invested conservatively to preserve capital, grew at a modest 2.6%. Like most Americans, we experienced higher costs for nearly all the goods and services we use, but with careful stewardship, our spending remained in line with budgetary expectations.

1,000,000 750,000 500,000 250,000 0

Program Services

Management Fundraising and General

For the years ended March 31, 2026 and 2025

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION March 31, 2026 and 2025 Assets

2026

2025

Cash and cash equivalents

$ 369,457

$ 428,619

Contributions receivable

45,000

40,818

5,011

2,993

3,623,124

3,435,172

5,812

40,087

$ 4,048,404

$ 3,947,689

$ 101,466

$ 83,037

5,890

40,465

107,356

123,502

322,782

435,543

3,618,266

3,388,644

Total net assets

3,941,048

3,824,187

Total liabilities and net assets

$ 4,048,404

$ 3,947,689

Prepaid expenses Investments Operating lease right-of-use asset Total assets

Liabilities and Net Assets Liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses Operating lease liability Total liabilities Net assets Net assets without donor restrictions: Undesignated Board designated

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF ACTIVITIES For the years ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 Revenue and Support

Without donor restrictions

With donor restrictions

2026

Total

Without donor restrictions

With donor restrictions

2025

Contributions and grants

$ 995,944

$ 1,075,987

Investment income, net

417,919

195,664

634

1,414,497

1,271,651

Program services

756,493

1,100,313

Management and general

226,651

215,819

Fundraising

314,492

289,795

Total expenses

1,297,636

1,605,927

Change in net assets

116,861

(334,276)

3,824,187

4,158,463

$ 3,941,048

$ 3,824,187

Other income

Total

Net assets released from restrictions: Total revenue and support

Expenses

Net Assets Beginning of year End of year

* The amounts in the sections “Consolidated Statements of Financial Position” and “Consolidated Statements of Activities” are derived from audited financial statements for the 2026 fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Full financial statements for the year, as well as tax forms, are available at DeathwithDignity.org/About/Financials; hard copies are available at PO Box 2009, Portland, OR 97208.

TOGETHER WE WILL DEFEND DIGNITY For more than 30 years, we’ve expanded end-of-life choice for millions. This is what progress looks like. JOIN US IN DEFENDING DIGNITY >

BOARD MEMBERS Lisa Vigil Schattinger, President Carol Pratt, Vice President Max Roman, Treasurer Eli Stutsman, Secretary www.deathwithdignity.org

George Eighmey, Director Midge Levy, Director Gil Tenzer, Director