Throughout North America, committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide
is no longer a criminal offense. However, helping another person commit suicide is
generally considered a
criminal act.
Oregon which, since 1997, has allowed people who are
terminally ill, in intractable pain, and not depressed to obtain a lethal prescription from their
physician and end their chronic suffering. This is called "Physician Assisted Suicide" or PAS.
Washington voters passed Initiative 1000 in
2008-NOV. Supporters call it a "Death with Dignity bill;" opponents call it
an "Assisted Suicide" measure. Both are accurate descriptions.
Montana's Montana Supreme Court legalized PAS in a decision
handed down on 2009-DEC-31.
"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."