Assisted+Suicide

"Fast facts ." __LIFE wisconsin right to life__ 27 Feb 2009 . > "Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia ." 27 Feb 2009 . "PAS Debate." __Important facts about PAS__ 1 Mar 2009 . > > > > > > >
 * Euthanasia is the direct killing of a person, usually by injecting a lethal substance. S.M
 * Euthanasia is prohibited in all 50 states under homicide laws. S.M
 * Assisted suicide involves one person providing the means and instructions to help another person commit suicide. S.M
 * Most states have laws which prohibit assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is legal in Oregan,Washington and Montana. S.M
 * Attempts to legalize assisted suicide with ballot measures have been defeated in four states. S.M
 * Euthanasia is legal in the netherlands with or without the consent of the patient. Guidelines havesbeen adopted to allow the killing of newborns with disabilities. S.M
 * people from all over the world travel to Switzerland to be assisted with suicide. S.M
 * Illegal drugs from Mexico are taken to Australia and New Zealand to be used for suicide. S.M
 * In Australia and in New Zealand, people are taught how to make their own suicide pills. S.M
 * Allowing people who are not dying to die of starvation amd dehydration by withholding or withdrawing food and fluids is legal in all 50 states. S.M
 * Euthanasia is the intentional ending of a patients life by a physician, usually by lethal injection. S,M
 * Physician assisted suicide refers to the ending of life through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications,expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose. S.M
 * Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal and widely practiced in Columbia and the Netherlands. S.M
 * In 1984, the Dutch Supreme Court declared euthanasia to be legal. S.M
 * In 1990, 9% of all deaths in the Netherlands were a result of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, with euthanasia accounting for the vast majority of those. S.M
 * In 1996, a euthanasia bill went into effect in Australia's Northern Territory but it was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997. S.M
 * In the United States, physician-assisted suicide in legal only in Oregon. The Oregon Death With Dignity Act was passed in November 1994 by a margin of 51% to 49%. S.M
 * After multiple legal proceedings prevented its enactment, the Act became law on October 27, 1997. S.M
 * In November 1997, 60% of voters voted against Measure 25, which would have repealed the Act. The Death With Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide but prohibits euthanasia. S.M
 * The states of California, Washington, Michigan and Maine have rejected ballot referenda questions to legalize physician-assisted suicide. S.M
 * The Hawaii State Senate voted down a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide. S.M
 * In 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was sentenced to a 10-25 year prison term for giving a lethal injection to Thomas Youk. S.M
 * In 2002, Belgium legalized euthanasia. S.M
 * Euthanasia is defined as "the act of bringing about the death of a hopelessly ill and suffering person in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of mercy". S.M
 * Physician-Assisted Suicide is not a new phenomenon. S.M
 * Based on a recent study, 57% of physicians practicing today have received a request for physician-assisted suicide in some form or another. S.M
 * The debate about the legalization of active steps to intentionally end life as a means to end suffering remains controversial. S.M
 * Even when the desire persists, avenues other than physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia are available to remedy suffering and avoid prolonging life against the patient’s wish. S.M
 * Euthanasia is the direct killing of a person, usually by injecting a lethal substance. S.M
 * As of early 1999, Oregon is the only state that has voted to legalize PAS. S.M