The Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide — Rejecting Assisted Suicide but Embracing Euthanasia

Abstract

In rejecting a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide earlier this year,^1,2 the U.S. Supreme Court appeared to preserve the distinction between the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment and assisted suicide or euthanasia. In fact, however, the Court undermined the distinction when it endorsed terminal sedation. Terminal sedation seems consistent with traditional medical care but often is a form of euthanasia. Moreover, it is a practice that is ethically more problematic than assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia.The Supreme Court's OpinionsIn deciding against a right to assisted suicide, the Court faced the claim that such a right is necessary for . . .