A few weeks ago, a ballot initiative made Washington state the second to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Now, a state court ruling has made Montana the third. (Oregon was the first to do so.)
A state judge decided this week that the state constitution was consistent with allowing terminally-ill but competent patients to request medication to get a peaceful, painless death.
However, the state attorney general expects his office to appeal the decision. What's more, he is soon to be sworn in as the chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, bringing his disapproval with him. Advocates of physician-assisted suicide may be in for more of a fight before a more permanent decision is reached.
To learn more about the decision:
- read this Wall Street Journal Health Blog piece