Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground
Authors: Lois Snyder, Arthur L. Caplan
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Medicine and Public Issues21 March 2000Assisted Suicide: Finding Common GroundLois Snyder, JD and Arthur L. Caplan, PhDLois Snyder, JDUniversity of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, Philadelphia, PA 19104Search for more papers by this author and Arthur L. Caplan, PhDUniversity of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, Philadelphia, PA 19104Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-132-6-200003210-00007 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Physician-assisted suicide used to be a question for academics to debate. No more. Oregon has legalized the practice, and the data from the law's first year of implementation are in (1). Efforts are under way to legalize physician-assisted suicide in other states. Thirty-seven states currently prohibit assisted suicide—including physician-assisted suicide—by statute, and 8 states prohibit it under the common law or a homicide statute (2).Will many other states quickly follow Oregon's lead? Probably not. In 1997 and 1998, bills on assisted suicide were introduced in 26 states. All were defeated. Voters in Michigan and Washington State rejected state ballot ...References1. Chin AE, Hedberg K, Higginson GK, Fleming DW. Legalized physician-assisted suicide in Oregon—the first year's experience. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:577-83. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Doerflinger RM. An uncertain future for assisted suicide. Hastings Cent Rep. 1999;29:52. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Washington v. Glucksberg, 117 SCt 2258 (1997). Google Scholar4. Vacco v. Quill, 117 SCt 2293 (1997). Google Scholar5. Oregon Death with Dignity Act, Oregon Revised Statutes §127.800-127.897. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Lois Snyder, JD; Arthur L. Caplan, PhDAffiliations: University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, Philadelphia, PA 19104Grant Support: The Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation supported the Finding Common Ground Project on Assisted Suicide.Corresponding Author: Lois Snyder, JD, Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Market Street, Suite 320, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308; e-mail, [email protected]acponline.org.Current Author Addresses: Ms. Snyder and Dr. Caplan: Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Market Street, Suite 320, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssisted Suicide Compared with Refusal of Treatment: A Valid Distinction? Franklin G. Miller , Joseph J. Fins , and Lois Snyder , for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus PanelThe Role of Guidelines in the Practice of Physician-Assisted Suicide Arthur L. Caplan , Lois Snyder , and Kathy Faber-Langendoen , for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus PanelShould Assisted Suicide Be Only Physician Assisted? Kathy Faber-Langendoen and Jason H.T. Karlawish , for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus PanelPalliative Treatments of Last Resort: Choosing the Least Harmful Alternative Timothy E. Quill , Barbara Coombs Lee , and Sally Nunn , for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus PanelResponding to Legal Requests for Physician-Assisted Suicide James A. Tulsky , Ralph Ciampa , and Elliott J. Rosen , for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus PanelPalliative Treatment of Last Resort and Assisted Suicide Lawrence K. Gates Jr. Palliative Treatment of Last Resort and Assisted Suicide Lois Snyder and Arthur L. Caplan Metrics Cited byIncorporating End-of-Life Issues into Psychology CoursesCan Assisted Suicide Be Regulated?Palliative Treatment of Last Resort and Assisted SuicideLawrence K. Gates Jr., MD 21 March 2000Volume 132, Issue 6Page: 468-469KeywordsBioethicsEuthanasiaFearHomicideLethal doseMotivationOral medicinePatient advocacyPsychologySuicide ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 21 March 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...