Washington’s state death with dignity act becomes law on Thursday, making Washington the second state in the nation to allow physician assisted suicide. The law that allows physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to terminally ill patients has been for some time a subject of controversy around the nation and the debate is not over yet.

According to reports, about one-third of Washington hospitals are now participating in the Death with Dignity program.
The procedure is illegal in many legal jurisdictions, including United Kingdom, but in Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland there are circumstances in which is permitted. In Oregon, most of the patients who had used the assisted suicide law to end their lives suffered from cancer. The law came into effect in 1997. Since the Oregon Act took effect in 1997, 341 people have used the law to end their lives.

“Aided dying is neither euthanasia nor suicide. It’s not euthanasia because euthanasia implies action by a physician to end a patient’s life. It’s not suicide because people who choose aid in dying are not choosing to end their lives. They don’t want to die – they’re choosing to end suffering that cannot be relieved and suffering that they are experiencing that is worse than death,” said Terry Barnett, president of the board of Compassion and Choices of Washington State.

Washington’s assisted suicide law is similar to Oregon’s. Patients who want to use Washington’s law to end their lives must be at least 18 years old, a Washington state resident, and declared mentally competent. Doctors must certify that the patient is terminally ill, with 6months or less to live.

Those who oppose the measure say the law will turn doctors into killers and argue that alternatives are available to death as a solution.
Montana could become the third state to allow physician assisted suicide.