THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE HOW TO DIE - A CONSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF STATE LAWS PROHIBITING PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED

Physician-assisted suicide (PAE) is an emotionally charged issue that state legislators struggle with more and more each year. In this note, David Sloss examines whether the right to voluntary PAF is protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Mr. Sloss argue s that all competent, terminally ill patients have a fundamental right to die with dignity. He concludes that no state should place a substa ntial obstacle, or undue burden, in the path of a competent patient wi th an objectively rational desire to die.