The Changing Legal Climate for Physician Aid in Dying

Abstract

While once widely rejected as a health care option, physician aid in dying is receiving increased recognition as a response to the suffering of patients at the end of life. With aid in dying, a physician writes a prescription for a life-ending medication for an eligible patient. Following the recommendation of the American Public Health Association, the term aid in dying rather than "assisted suicide" is used to describe the practice. In this Viewpoint, the authors describe the changing legal climate for physician aid in dying occurring in several states.

Keywords: aid in dying, assisted suicide, active euthanasia, death with dignity, life-sustaining, physician aid, dying, death, end-of-life, patient, mentally competent, terminally ill, Quinlan, doctor, death panels, quality of life

JEL Classification: I00, I12, I18, K3, K32