NCJ Number
172528
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Dated: (May-June 1997) Pages: 262-269
Date Published
1997
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Questions about the right to die and whether others should be allowed to help tend to probe the limits of individual autonomy and social control and to raise moral, legal, and jurisprudential issues.
Abstract
While most persons are physically able to take their life when they want to, some individuals are so disabled they cannot do it without assistance. Laws in nearly all jurisdictions, however, attempt to prevent such assistance. Physicians are the most appropriate persons to help patients and others who want to end their lives. Nonetheless, the Hippocratic oath, tradition, and medical education continue to lead many physicians to believe they must keep patients alive at all costs, regardless of their wishes. The government has no demonstrable interest in forcing unwilling persons to live, but it may have an interest in preventing individuals from taking avoidable risks. The role of mental illness and the issue of comatose or incompetent persons in assisted suicide and euthanasia are discussed, as well as the possibility of abuse of assisted suicide. The author concludes that the law should not punish those who assist in suicide or perform euthanasia. 8 footnotes