Recognizing a fundamental liberty interest protecting the right to die: an analysis of statutes which criminalize or legalize physician-assisted suicide.

Abstract

Physician-assisted suicide is one of the most controversial issues in society today. We live in an age where medical technology has developed so fast and so far that those who would have swiftly succumbed to deadly diseases in the not too distant past are now living, or, rather, being kept alive long past the point of meaningful existence. Although everyone sympathizes with the painful plight of the terminally ill, the specter of physician-assisted suicide gives many pause, and rightfully so: one need only think of the carbon monoxide contraption in the back of Dr. Death's infamous van to realize that society must address the issue of the right to die. Is there any solution to this great debate? In this note, Mr. William Tarnow passionately answers in the affirmative. Mr. Tarnow analyzes the constitutionality of state statutes which either criminalize or legalize physician-assisted suicide under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Constitution of the United States. The note also considers the case law, largely from the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, invalidating and upholding such statutes under the Constitution. Arguing that there is indeed a constitutional liberty interest in physician-assisted suicide, Mr. Tarnow concludes by suggesting that state legislatures can and must create legislation that legalizes physician-assisted suicide and passes constitutional muster.