Assisted Suicide: Giving Meaning to the Right to Die

Authors

Victoria L. Helms

First Page

173

Document Type

Comment

Abstract

As Dr. Jack Kevorkian awaits prosecution in Wayne County, Michigan for his role in assisting in the death of Thomas J. Hyde, the Michigan Legislature continues to struggle in its search for a meaningful solution to the dilemma brought to a head by the so-called "Dr. Death." The question of assisted suicide is an emotional one, that will no longer sit on the back burner of America's lawmaking systems. Whether assisted suicide conforms to sound public policy in the United States has been the subject of vigorous debate and is a question creating turmoil in both law and medicine. It is time to establish the right of assisted suicide. The continuation of life for terminally ill persons under conditions of severe pain and suffering constitutes not only severe cruelty and disregard for human dignity, but also an invasion into basic rights of privacy and self-determination. This Comment advocates the position that the right to enlist the aid of others is implicit within the constitutionally protected right to die. This Comment proposes that there is no real legal or moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia, and consequently, without assistance, the right to die may be a nullity.

Recommended Citation

Victoria L. Helms, Assisted Suicide: Giving Meaning to the Right to Die, 6 St. Thomas L. Rev. 173 (1994).
Available at: https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol6/iss1/6