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 | "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 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
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
| ||||||||||
| Does PAS actually increase pain experienced by dying
patients? | ||||||||||
| Status of euthanasia / PAS in:
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| Links to web sites | ||||||||||
| Books |
Related essays in this web site:
| Suicide
| ||||||
| The medical management of pain |
Sponsored links:
You can safely order the following books on assisted suicide from Amazon.com's online bookstore
If you see a generic Amazon.com ad here, please press the refresh icon on your browser.
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
Beliefnet has a series of free newsletters that you can receive:
Reference used:
- "A Newsletter from the Honourable Sharon Carstairs, Senator For Manitoba," 1995-OCT, at: http://sen.parl.gc.ca/
- James Vicini, "Court rules govt. can't stop Oregon suicide law," Reuters News Agency, 2005-JAN-17, at: http://today.reuters.com/
- "Bishop Spong Q&A on Death with dignity," Agoramedia mailing, 2006-JAN-18.
- 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 2008, by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Last updated on 2008-NOV-05
Author: B.A. Robinson
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