> Legalized euthanasia in 6 states

Legalized euthanasia in 6 states Allowing doctors to prescribe drugs for dying patients with normal minds to end their own lives has gradually gained support. The United States has...

Legalizing euthanasia 6 states are pushing for the legalization of euthanasia. Allowing doctors to prescribe drugs for sane dying patients to end their own lives has gradually gained support. Six states in the United States are pushing for legislation in the hope of legalizing euthanasia. The large number of baby boomers are gradually facing the problem of approaching their end of life, which has made euthanasia receive more attention in recent years. National groups such as Compassion & Choice are dedicated to promoting the right to euthanasia. The movement received a boost last year when Massachusetts held a referendum on whether doctors should be allowed to help terminally ill patients end their lives. The director of Compassion and Choices said that although the referendum in Massachusetts failed, it helped spark a national discussion and made the country, especially the Northeast, more aware that patients and their families should have access to other options. Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Kansas and Hawaii are discussing legislation to legalize assisted suicide; advocates in Massachusetts are determined to press ahead; Arizona, New Hampshire, New York and Montana are also considering the issue. Connecticut legislated to ban euthanasia in 1969, but it is likely to become the first state in the United States to legalize assisted suicide by a vote of the state Legislature. The state parliament has proposed at least two related proposals and may hold the first public hearing on this this month. Oregon and Washington have both passed right-to-die laws, but they both enacted such laws through voter referendums. The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that doctors helping terminally ill patients end their lives can be considered a form of medical treatment. Thirty-four states in the United States explicitly ban assisted suicide, and seven states, including Massachusetts, have banned the practice through court cases. Bricker, a Connecticut doctor who specializes in treating AIDS patients, acknowledged that not all dying patients want to commit suicide, but they should be given a choice.