Procedure - Suicide and Assisted Suicide

==TW - assisted suicide, suicide, death==

Suicide → the deliberate taking of one’s life

It was once considered against the law, and in some states it still is
There are always regarding people who assist a person in committing suicide

Suicide Statistics

More people die from suicide than homicide in the US
84 people die per day from suicide
White males account for 73% of suicides
While people account for 91% of suicides
Suicide rates are higher on the West coast than the mid-West and East coast
Suicide rates increase with age → People who are 65+ are more likely to commit suicide

Risk Factors for Sucide

Those who have attempted suicide in the past
Those who have a history of substance abuse
Those who are the victim of bullying
Those who have physical disabilities or illnesses
Those who have experienced the loss of a friend or family member, especially to suicide
Those with a history of mental health conditions
Those who have access to harmful means, like drugs or weapons
Those who are having relationship problems

Assisted Sucide → suicide undertaken with the aid of another person (specifically a doctor)

Normally done by people who have limited lifespans due to medical conditions or who are in a lot of pain due to medical problems

If you assist in suicide you are criminally responsible and can be prosecuted

History of Assisted Sucide:

In July, 1997 the SCOTUS unanimously upheld decisions made in New York and Washington that criminalized assisted suicide
The SCOTUS determined that there was no “right to die” in the Constitution and left it to individual states to enact legislation that would permit or forbid physicians to assist in suicide
Over 30 states have enacted statutes prohibiting assisted suicide

Jack Kevorkian → was charged in Michigan with violating the state’s statute in addition to the charge of 1st degree murder and delivering a controled substance without a license

The assisted suicide charge was dropped, however he was eventually convicted of second degree murder and delivering a controled substance without a license

Medical Aid in Dying → In the United States, 6 states allow medical aid in dying, a legal practice in which a person who has been diagnosed as terminally ill with 6 months or less to live can request a lethal dose of a medication or self-administer in order to end their life

Oregon Laws On Assisted Suicide

First state to allow assisted suicide
In Oregon, a doctor may prescribe but not administer a lethal dose of medicine to a person who has six months or less to live
Two doctors must agree that the patient was competent and that the decision was voluntary. As of April, 1999 23 patients have been given the drugs, 15 of whom committed suicide
Brittany Maynard → a 29 year old woman who was suffering from brain cancer who became an advocate for terminally ill patients who wanted to end their own lives, died using Oregon’s doctor-assisted suicide law

New Jersey Assisted Suicide Bill, 2019 →

New Jersey’s Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act → took effect on August 1st, 2019 and is in effect pending litigation
- Patients may access and physicians may prescribe medications under the law
New Jersey is the 8th jurisdiction to have a death with dignity statute; one in fie Americans now live where this option is available
Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) → a permissive law that allows terminally ill individuals to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of a lethal dose of medication, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose
New Jersey Requirements:
- The patients has to be deemed (by medical professionals) to have 6 months or less to live with a terminal illness
- Two doctors have to sign of on the request to end the patient’s life
- Patient must be of sound mind to make the decision and be able to physically administer the means to end their life (take the pill, administer injection, etc)