Is hastening death illegal?
In Washington State, a law (RCW 9A.36.060) made it a class C felony to “assist a suicide.” The law simply stated, “A person is guilty of promoting a suicide when he knowingly causes or aids another to attempt suicide.” A class C felony is punishable by five years in jail, a $10,000 fine, and, if the person assisting is a professional, the professional could lose his or her license or certification. Early in 1994, four physicians and Compassion in Dying, a nonprofit organization, dedicated to counseling and assisting terminally ill persons to choose the timing and method of their death, filed a lawsuit in US District Court challenging Washington’s “assisted suicide” law as unconstitutional. On May 3, 1994, Federal District Judge, Barbara Rothstein, issued a ruling finding Washington’s “assisted suicide” law unconstitutional. The Attorney General of Washington appealed to the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to have Judge Rothstein’s decision overturned. On March 9, 1995, a three-member
