Fatal Care, Death Upon Request

In June 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws banning physician-assisted suicide do not violate the Constitution, so states may decide whether it is constitutional for a physician to help an individual to die.

In August 2019, CNN reported that physician-assisted suicide is legal in nine1 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Meaning, physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medication to hasten death for terminally ill patients whose life expectancy is six months.

Beware! Downward Steps To Fatal Care for Anyone

Step One: Legalize the practice for the terminally ill, but soften the moniker. Formally known as euthanasia, currently, it’s referenced as (a) physician-assisted death (PAD), (b) death with dignity, (c) aid in dying, (d) end of life option, (e) passive involuntary euthanasia, or (f) fatal care. Whatever its moniker, most of the nine states that have such laws allow government-approved licensed physicians to prescribe lethal drugs for patients to self-administer.

Step Two: From medical to psychiatric to “upon request.” In 2017 the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reported the expansion of euthanasia as follows: “People with non-terminal illnesses have been legally euthanized at their own request in several countries for nearly 15 years. This included certain eligible patients who have psychiatric disorders.”

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