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The term "death with dignity" is a euphemism for euthanasia (physician assisted suicide) of those who are terminally ill, wasting away, or otherwise facing a painful and lingering death. Since almost all states have laws that prohibit suicide or assisting in suicide, various organizations have lobbied for changes to these laws. In many cases, only a doctor would be aware that a dosage of morphine or other painkillers could be expected to have a fatal effect.

The states of Oregon and Washington enacted Death with Dignity laws (in 1994 and 2008 respectively) that have highly-restrictive guidelines for legal acts of euthanasia. A 1999 Texas law enables health care facilities to discontinue life support measures for the terminally ill. Most states already allow artificial life support to be discontinued by the families of those unable to make their wishes known.

The laws of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands allow voluntary assisted suicide.

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14y ago

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