Montana Supreme Court Makes State Third to Allow Unlimited Assisted Suicide
Helena, MT (LifeNews.com) -- The Montana Supreme Court has officially paved the way for the state to become the third to allow the practice of assisted suicide. The high court considered a case from a now-deceased terminally ill patient who wanted the right to kill himself with assistance from a physician.
The high court did not determine if the Montana constitution guarantees a right to assisted suicide but said nothing in state law or the precedent of the court prevented assisted suicide.
"We find nothing in Montana Supreme Court precedent or Montana statutes indicating that physician aid in dying is against public policy," the high court said in its opinion.
The decision essentially has Montana joining Oregon and Washington as the only three states in the nation to allow assisted suicides. It declared assisted suicide as legal and could prevent doctors from almost any prosecution for engaging in them.
Montana law "explicitly shields physicians from liability for acting in accordance with a patient's end-of life wishes, even if the physician must actively pull the plug on a patient's ventilator or withhold treatment that will keep him alive," the court said. However, assisted suicides in Montana will likely go further as the state doesn't have even basic limitations, restrictions or guidelines in place and the ruling could pave the way for the practice of euthanasia with little or no state oversight. Ref. Source 1
Mercy killing
Original Post Date: 14th Oct, 2010 - 1:27am
What are your thoughts about mercy killing? You could read this case and form an opinion:
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