Laws on assisted suicide vary by state

Facts on assisted suicide

Georgia is one of 36 states with laws that explicitly criminalize assisted suicide. In six other states and the District of Columbia, the practice has been rendered illegal by court rulings and not legislative actions.

Physician-assisted suicide is legal in:

Oregon — In 1994, voters approved the Death with Dignity Act. It allowed doctors to help terminal patients with less than six months to live to end their lives. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the statute in 1997 by refusing to hear a lawsuit that sought to overturn it.

Washington state — Last November, voters in a statewide referendum voted to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The Washington statute closely mirrors the Oregon law.

Montana — In December, a state district court judge ruled that the state constitution allows Montanans to seek help from a doctor to commit suicide.

Elsewhere: Nevada, Utah and Wyoming do not have laws that either allow or criminalize assisted suicide. In Ohio, physicians and other health care professionals can be “disciplined” for participating in a suicide. In Virginia, doctors found guilty of helping patients die can have their medical licenses suspended or revoked; and relatives of assisted suicides can sue anyone who helps a family member kill himself.

Source: The International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.