Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
In the United States the justice system considers a human life “priceless”. Traditionally the laws of this nation have supported this principle. Recent years have seen a shift in societal values, resulting in laws that recognize personal autonomy over the sanctity of human life. One of the areas impacted is medical aid in dying. While there continues to be great controversy over the moral and ethical issues of physician-assisted death, a growing number of states are expected to pass medical aid in dying acts.
At the core of medical aid in dying is the presumption that there are safeguards, and the safeguards work. Consent of the patient, the most important safeguard, prevents physician-assisted death from slipping into rampart homicide or suicide contagion. Patients should not be asked, because of their illness or disability, to consider whether their lives are worth living. This hurts those who are most vulnerable, those who do not want to die, but wish to be helped to live.
Recommended Citation
Marcuccio, Elizabeth and Waters, Kayla A.
(2026)
"From Crime to Compassion: Redefining Death in the Eyes of the Law,"
North East Journal of Legal Studies: Vol. 46, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/nealsb/vol46/iss1/1