The two acts of a) requesting a physician to prescribe a lethal dose of medication, and b) then ingesting the medication to hasten death. Although suicide is legal in every state, it is a felony for anyone to assist suicide--except for physicians in Oregon, provided they follow a specified protocol. Anonymous surveys, however, reveal that 7% to 50% of physicians have assisted their patients by hastening their dying. Members of right-to-die groups advise terminally ill persons who are suffering to first explore hospice care before considering PAS.

assisted suicide where the assistant is a physician

The highly controversial practice of helping terminally ill or suffering patients end their lives by pharmaceutical means. Proponents might point to the ethical considerations that justify palliative care (q.v.), while opponents insist on the sanctity of life and the definition of the physician's art as promoting health. [See Case Studies related to Physician-Assisted Suicide