On it’s surface, physician-assisted suicide sounds straightforward. Why shouldn’t a consenting adult be allowed to decide how and when to die, if death is imminent, and living is filled with pain and suffering? While it sounds simple, the moment you crack it open, all of the ethical, practical, medical, legal, and religious implications fly out of Pandora’s box.
Physician-assisted suicide is legal in nine U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., and 14 others states are currently debating legislation.
In California, it’s been legal under the End of Life Options Act since 2015. But recent changes to that law are being challenged in court. The changes make it easier for patients to get assisted suicide, they also force doctors to participate—even those who morally object.
We talk to two people behind that lawsuit. Plaintiff Dr. Leslee Chochrane, executive medical director at Hospice of the Valleys in Southern California. He’s a member of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the other plaintiff. Both are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom and we also speak to their legal counsel, Christy Hirsch.
