Assisted Suicide

In the context of health care, physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is the process by which a terminally ill patient may legally request and receive a lethal dose of medication to end their own life. More generally, assisted suicide refers to any circumstance in which one person intentionally provides another with the means to end their life, while euthanasia refers to the active administration of a life-ending intervention. While PAS is permitted in some US jurisdictions, euthanasia is considered a form of homicide and remains uniformly illegal in the United States. In states that allow PAS, patients must meet eligibility requirements and undertake a process that includes submitting multiple requests to health-care providers. In addition to receiving approval from a physician,...