Assisted suicide: Difference between revisions

'''AssistedMedical suicideAid in Dying''' – alternatelyformerly referred to as '''medicalassisted aid in dyingsuicide''' – means a procedure in which people take medications prescribed by a medical professional to end their own lives with the help of others, usually medical professionals.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last= |first= |date=30 October 2023 |title=assisted suicide |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/assisted-suicide |access-date=8 November 2023 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Brittanica |vauthors=}}</ref> The term usually refers to '''physician-assisted suicide''' ('''PAS'''), which is an end of life measure for a person suffering a painful, terminal illness.<ref name="Assisted Suicide State Laws">{{cite web |author= |date=July 2020 |title=physician-assisted suicide |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/physician-assisted_suicide |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=}}</ref> Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifies under the physician-assisted suicide laws for that location, the physician's assistance is usually limited to writing a [[Drug prescription|prescription]] for a lethal dose of drugs.