Assisted Suicide Not A Constitutional Right In Massachusetts, State Supreme Judicial Court Decides

Assisted suicide is not a right under the Massachusetts Constitution, the state's Supreme Judicial Court has ruled. "Although we recognize the paramount importance and profound significance of all end-of-life decisions, after careful consideration, we conclude that the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights does not reach so far as to protect physician-assisted suicide. We conclude as well that the law of manslaughter may prohibit physician-assisted suicide, and does so, without offending constitu

Assisted suicide is not a right under the Massachusetts Constitution, the state's Supreme Judicial Court has ruled. "Although we recognize the paramount importance and profound significance of all end-of-life decisions, after careful consideration, we conclude that the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights does not reach so far as to protect physician-assisted suicide. We conclude as well that the law of manslaughter may prohibit physician-assisted suicide, and does so, without offending constitu…