Advantages of the Premature-Death Approach to the Right-to-Die

    The most common approach to securing the right-to-die
inserts a new law into the health-care section of any set of laws.

This gives a new authority to licensed physicians
namely to prescribe controlled drugs
for the purpose of bringing death
to selected patients,
who have applied for such a means of ending their lives.


    The new premature-death approach
inserts a new law into the homicide section of any set of laws.

This defines a new crime against patients who were considered to be dying.
And when it defines this crime and its punishment,
it also permits other behavior (by anyone, not just doctors)

which will result in wisely-chosen deaths.

    The following list presents the advantages of this new approach:



Applies to All Life-Ending Decisions,
Not Just those Cases that Choose to be Covered by the Law
.

Creates Common Ground with Former Opponents of the Right-to-Die

Makes Each Particular Safeguard Optional

Encourages Advocates of the Right-to-Die to Embrace the Safeguards

Requires Less Paperwork

Brings Underground Chosen Deaths Above Ground

Discourages Self-Appointed 'Angels of Death'

Puts the Burden-of-Proof on the Prosecution

Prevents Attempts to Ban the Right-to-Die Using Drug-Laws

Prevents Attempts to Ban the Right-to-Die Using Physician Licensing



Created March 30, 2007; revised 3-31-2007; 2-1-2008; 2-28-2008


See the Model Statute called Causing Premature Death.
This draft legislation embodies 26 recommended safeguards.



Go to the Right-to-Die Portal.






The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.