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Euthanasia & Physician
Assisted Suicide (PAS)

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Quotations:

	"Whose life is it, anyway?" A plea by the late Sue Rodrigues, a high-profile, terminally-ill resident of British Columbia, Canada, who suffered from ALS. 1 She was helped to commit suicide by a physician in violation of Canadian law in the presence of a Member of Parliament. Neither the doctor nor the MP were prosecuted.
	"We are disappointed at the decision. The president remains fully committed to building a culture of life ... that is built on valuing life at all stages." White House spokesman Scott McClellan, responding to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2006-JAN which found the Oregon physician assisted suicide legislation to be constitutional. 2
	"The right to a good death is a basic human freedom. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold aid in dying allows us to view and act on death as a dignified moral and godly choice for those suffering with terminal illnesses." John Shelby Spong  3

Overview:

Throughout North America, committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide is no longer a criminal offense. However, helping another person commit suicide is generally a criminal act. Two exceptions are the states of:

	Oregon which, since 1997, has allowed people who are terminally ill and in intractable pain to obtain a lethal prescription from their physician and end their chronic suffering. This is called "Physician Assisted Suicide" or PAS.
	Washington whose voters passed Initiative 1000 in 2008-NOV. Supporters call it a "Death with Dignity bill;" opponents call it an "Assisted Suicide" measure.

There have been four failed ballot initiatives between 1991 and 2000:

	1991: Washington state: defeated narrowly 54% to 46%
	1992: California: Defeated narrowly 54% to 46%
	1998: Michigan: Defeated overwhelmingly 71% to 29%
	2000: Maine: Defeated very narrowly 51% to 49%.

Between 1994 and 2006, there were 75 legislative bills to legalize PAS in 21 states. All failed. ₄

There is a lawsuit currently before the Montana State Supreme Court that may legalize PAS in the state.

Attention is currently focused on a bill in the California legislature.

Topics covered in this section:

	Introduction to Euthanasia & PAS: Terms, Why is it an issue?, Suicide beliefs.
	Further information: battles, ethical and religious aspects, public opinion.
	Euthanasia and Terri  Schiavo About living wills
	Does PAS actually increase pain experienced by dying patients?
	Status of euthanasia / PAS in: The U.S.: Oregon law, U.S. Supreme Court decision, California, Montana, recent events, etc.   Australia   Canada:   The Netherlands (Holland)   The UK: England, Scotland, Wales: 1999 to 2006 2007 to now   Elsewhere in the world
	Links to web sites
	Books

Related essays in this web site:

	Suicide Suicide passages in the Bible Criminalizing information sources about committing suicide Sources of information on suicide methods on the Internet
	The medical management of pain

Sponsored links:

You can safely order the following books on assisted suicide from Amazon.com's online bookstore

Also, please consider: Cheryl Kaye Tardif's novel "Whale Song." The book's publisher describes the book as follows:

"Two cultures clash in a world where native tradition and modern law cannot co-exist. How can a young girl deal with the assisted suicide of her own mother? Whale Song is a haunting tale of change and choice."

View an animated book trailer.  Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

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Reference used:

1. "A Newsletter from the Honourable Sharon Carstairs, Senator For Manitoba," 1995-OCT, at: http://sen.parl.gc.ca/
2. James Vicini, "Court rules govt. can't stop Oregon suicide law," Reuters News Agency, 2005-JAN-17, at: http://today.reuters.com/
3. "Bishop Spong Q&A on Death with dignity," Agoramedia mailing, 2006-JAN-18.
4. Kathi Hamlon, "Failed Attempts to Legalize Euthanasia/Assisted-Suicide in the United States," International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, at: http://www.internationaltaskforce.org/

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Copyright © 1997 to 2009, by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last updated on 2009-SEP-03
Author: B.A. Robinson

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