One of the required forms to request medication to end one's life

PORTLAND, Oregon (CNN) -- Oregon's terminally ill are the nation's first to be able to ask their physicians to help them die without the physicians worrying about legal repercussions. But not all terminally ill patients, or physicians, are confident that Oregon's assisted-suicide law is a positive step for humanity.

Twice in four years, Oregon's voters approved the "death-with-dignity" referendum. The assisted-suicide law took effect last October, but only three terminally ill people, including a cancer-stricken woman in her 80s, are known to have killed themselves with lethal prescriptions.

The medical community says Oregon doctors have been reluctant to help patients who want to die, fearing the federal government would try to revoke their drug licenses. But surveys show about one in 20 Oregon doctors have already assisted a patient's suicide anyway.

U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno settled the legal worries of Oregon's doctors Friday with her announcement that the U.S. Controlled Substances Act would not allow federal officials to prosecute physicians who assist in suicides under the Oregon law.

Some Oregon doctors say Reno's decision will encourage more doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of prescription drugs to patients with less then six months to live who choose not to prolong their suffering.

"I know that many doctors have been hesitant to participate because they were worried about losing their licenses .... I wouldn't be surprised if there's more interest expressed by patients and physicians," said Dr. Peter Rasmussen, a Salem cancer doctor who recently helped a patient to die.

The state's medical community, however, does not expect terminally ill people who want to die to suddenly rush to Oregon. Oregon doctors will prefer to help their own patients, observers say.

And the number of terminal patients who opt to exercise their legal suicide option may never be made public. The Oregon law calls for the decision to be private.

Some doctors criticized the law for putting physicians in direct conflict with their Hippocratic oath.

"The idea of saying that killing your patient under some situations is an appropriate use of medications is unthinkable," Dr. William Toffler of Physicians for Compassionate Care told CNN. "It's an inherent conflict of interest for physicians."

Janice Elsner, who suffers from rapidly progressing muscular dystrophy, said the state is "promoting death" with assisted suicide.

"How can we say that anybody with a white coat on can kill anybody they want to, but we expect kids to abstain from violence?" Elsner said.

Michigan is currently the only other state considering a measure like the Oregon law.

The measure, scheduled to be on a statewide ballot this fall, was under discussion at a national meeting of assisted suicide advocates in Ann Arbor on Friday.

About 30 member of Not Dead Yet -- many in wheelchairs -- turned out at the Hemlock Society USA's national conference to protest the Michigan initiative.

"Basically, this is legalized killing of anybody with any type of disability," said Tom Cagle, sitting in his motorized wheelchair.

Correspondent Greg LeFevre and The Associated Press contributed to this report.