|
|
Article: "Right to Die" Cases
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
"RIGHT TO DIE" CASES
"RIGHT TO DIE" CASES.
"Right to die" does not refer to any general right of able-bodied and healthy people to commit suicide. Rather, the expression is conventionally used to refer to situations in which issues concerning physician-assisted suicide typically arise. The central question is whether, and under what circumstances, an individual whose illness is incapacitating will be allowed to die or be assisted in dying rather than be sustained on life support indefinitely.
Earlier generations presumably handled many of these difficult problems by having the doctor consult with the family or even possibly resolve the question without consultation. Currently, right to ...