Definition: A physician assisted suicide is the aiding to bring about death for "compassionate reasons". It begins with a patient's request for help in ending their life. Usually, the physician then offers counseling, information, and instructions. The physician prescribes the medication that will end the patient's life but does not otherwise participate in the act itself. The patient administers their own terminal dose of medication.
Physician assisted suicide is only legal in one state in the United States, Oregon. The Supreme Court has ruled that there is no constitutionally guaranteed right to physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia and, therefore, no constitutional right to die.
Also Known As: PAS, physician assisted death, assisted dying
