Advantages of the Premature-Death Approach to the Right-to-Die
Puts
the Burden-of-Proof on the Prosecution
If we create new laws that prohibit causing
premature death,
then the burden-of-proof falls on whatever authority
is responsible for prosecuting crimes in that location on the Earth.
And usually the criminal-justice system presumes
that the person to be charged is innocent until proven guilty.
The patient, proxies, & physicians are assumed
to
have acted in good faith
—unless
some evidence can be presented to show otherwise.
And when any criminal investigation begins,
it will look first to the actual
behavior—and
the results of that
behavior.
When health-care laws are used,
the investigation begins with the paperwork
—to
see if the appropriate waiting periods were observed,
the life-ending drugs were correctly prescribed, etc.
Created March 30,
2007; revised 3-31-2007; 2-1-2008; 2-28-2008