Recently, there has been pressure on the Government by certain human rights advocates to enact laws that allow a terminally ill person to end their life. There are very few assisted suicide states in the United States right now; however, their number may grow due to this pressure from advocates.
Currently, Washington, Vermont and Oregon allow physician-assisted deaths. Montana and New Mexico may soon allow this due to recent court cases that may be appealed. The main argument against this practice is that allowing doctors to help patients to end their life violates their Hippocratic Oath, which all doctors have traditionally taken. The Hippocratic Oath basically promises to do no harm to a patient. There are also various religious objections to this practice as well, from both Christian and non-Christian faiths.
In Washington, a law was passed to allow an adult who is terminally ill to end their life. They can request a lethal dose of certain prescribed medication from their physician, however, the patient who is terminally ill must be a Washington state resident with less than six months left to live as confirmed by their doctor.
This practice is sometimes confused with euthanasia or mercy killings. With euthanasia, the doctor will administer a lethal drug to cause death. However, physician-assisted suicide is only carried out at the request of the patient and with his or her consent. The patient will administer the means of death themselves. These types of deaths are normally committed with the help of another person, often a doctor.
Despite these arguments, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that a person does not have a constitutional right to assisted suicide. This has allowed states to pass various laws prohibiting such procedures. Helping someone to commit suicide is deemed a felony by most state laws.
If you have a relative who is a considering getting a doctor to assist them with dying, it is highly recommended that they do no rush into the decision. They need to understand both the medical and legal implications of doing this. Firstly, if they do not live in one of the states mentioned, then they will likely not be able to get a doctor to help them die. In some cases, the doctor may even lose their license or face charges for presenting this as an option to their patient.
In Montana, the Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that doctors can prescribe medication to help a terminally ill patient to end their life. However, the legislature there has not yet enacted a law to allow this. There have been two assisted suicide bills introduced to the legislature in 2011, but they were not successful in getting past the committees. One of these bills provided certain protections to physicians who assist in these acts, while the other banned it.
New Mexico ruled recently that a terminally ill patient has a constitutional right to receive help in dying. While state law declares it a felony to help a person commit suicide, the judge in the case ruled that the constitutional right of the terminally ill person overruled the state law. Therefore, it is unclear if this ruling applies throughout all of New Mexico or only to the county where the ruling was made.
Currently, Washington, Vermont and Oregon allow physician-assisted deaths. Montana and New Mexico may soon allow this due to recent court cases that may be appealed. The main argument against this practice is that allowing doctors to help patients to end their life violates their Hippocratic Oath, which all doctors have traditionally taken. The Hippocratic Oath basically promises to do no harm to a patient. There are also various religious objections to this practice as well, from both Christian and non-Christian faiths.
In Washington, a law was passed to allow an adult who is terminally ill to end their life. They can request a lethal dose of certain prescribed medication from their physician, however, the patient who is terminally ill must be a Washington state resident with less than six months left to live as confirmed by their doctor.
This practice is sometimes confused with euthanasia or mercy killings. With euthanasia, the doctor will administer a lethal drug to cause death. However, physician-assisted suicide is only carried out at the request of the patient and with his or her consent. The patient will administer the means of death themselves. These types of deaths are normally committed with the help of another person, often a doctor.
Despite these arguments, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that a person does not have a constitutional right to assisted suicide. This has allowed states to pass various laws prohibiting such procedures. Helping someone to commit suicide is deemed a felony by most state laws.
If you have a relative who is a considering getting a doctor to assist them with dying, it is highly recommended that they do no rush into the decision. They need to understand both the medical and legal implications of doing this. Firstly, if they do not live in one of the states mentioned, then they will likely not be able to get a doctor to help them die. In some cases, the doctor may even lose their license or face charges for presenting this as an option to their patient.
In Montana, the Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that doctors can prescribe medication to help a terminally ill patient to end their life. However, the legislature there has not yet enacted a law to allow this. There have been two assisted suicide bills introduced to the legislature in 2011, but they were not successful in getting past the committees. One of these bills provided certain protections to physicians who assist in these acts, while the other banned it.
New Mexico ruled recently that a terminally ill patient has a constitutional right to receive help in dying. While state law declares it a felony to help a person commit suicide, the judge in the case ruled that the constitutional right of the terminally ill person overruled the state law. Therefore, it is unclear if this ruling applies throughout all of New Mexico or only to the county where the ruling was made.
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