this is something i care about because it's her. >> reporter: on may 4, 2012, pam and ben wald gathered their closest friends in the living room. they sang songs together, and afterward, in the bedroom they shared, pam handed ben the medication that would end his life. he took it without hesitating. >> early on when i got together with my husband and we were first together, we'd be laying in bed together and he was thinking, he'd go like this with his hands. his hands were always moving. it's kind of like, it's when he was thinking kind of thing and everything. but what i've never forgotten is his hands were like this on his chest, and i held my hands on top of his. but his hands never went like that and they just stayed, because he was just at peace. and his last words were, "thank you." and he died in two hours. >> reporter: ben wald was 75- years-old. so what can we learn from oregon's experience? katrina hedberg of the state health authority, who's neutral on the issue, tracks statistics on oregon's death with dignity law. >> initially there were a number of concerns that people had

emaciated and in terrible pain from incurable cancer that had spread throughout his body, in may, 2012, ben waldold her he was ready to die. >> for me, it was my last gift of love to my husband because it was his choice. >> following the strict medical guidelines in oregon law, the couple consulted with physicians including dr. david grube. >> he was really sick. i went to his home, met him in his bedroom with his wife, pam. he was competent, alert. he knew what he wanted. >> oregon law requires the terminal ill person to be mentally capable of making the decision and must take the drugs, themselves, without assistance. with a lethal dose of doct doctor-prescribed bash bit wants on hand, family and friends gathered to say goodbye. >> we sang songs read poems. i gave it to ben. he sat on the edge of the bed, tooked medication and he laid down and his last words were "thank you. "death with dignity act says it will allow those who are not terminally ill to demand physician assisted suicide and it degrades the values of the medical profession. >> dr. kenneth sthaevenz been a physician for 48 years.

pam wald's husband ben was one of them. emancipated by cancer.he told her in 2012, that he was ready to die. >> for me, it was my last gift of love for my husband. it was his choice. >> following guidelines, the couple consulted with physicians. >> he was sick. i went to his home, met him in his bedroom with his wife pam. he was compete ent, alert and knew what he wanted. oregon law wanted the terminally ill person to be competent. with a lethal dose of barr bit utes op hand, family and friends gathered. >> we sang songs, read poems. i gave it to ben. he sat on the edge of the bed, took the medication and laid down and his last words were thank you >>> opponents of oregon's death with dignity act say it will lead to laws allowing people who are not terminally illegal to demand assisted suicide. and it degrates the values of the medical profession. >> i went into medicine to help people. the message of those that promote assisted suicide and youth jan asia is that doctors do a better job at killing you than taking care of you. >> another doctor di