Nevertheless, many hospitals and medical professionals insist on employing every procedure and treatment possible to keep the patient alive, fearing lawsuit for medical malpractice or malfeasance for failing to do so. Other motives may also be in play. We have the right to commit suicide. These questions arise when it comes to settling life insurance claims. There are, of course, no laws that either authorize or punish this manner of dying.
Insurance companies are, however, quite interested in the matter.
The right to euthanasia, namely to authorize another to kill you directly and intentionally. Thus the provider turns a lever for his or her client, or opens a valve, or places lethal doses of chemicals or medicines in the hands of the client. The whole thing is anything but private. In the Glucksberg and Vacco decisions , the U.S. Supreme court last year paid close attention to several questions which we should carefully note here this evening. The State of New York did not initiate the case before the Supreme Court, nor did the State of New York argue that assisted suicide was prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.