Once a controversial fringe practice, physician-assisted suicide is now legal in 13 US states, mirroring a global trend with concerning implications for vulnerable populations.



The nation has come a very long way since the controversy and trials of Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the day and time in which we live. It’s ironic to recognize that he was convicted of murder back in the 1990s, and today, there are now 13 states (plus Washington, DC) that allow physician-assisted suicide, with New York being the most recent. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the practice into law for New York on February 9, according to BEGA.

In a website statement picked up by CBN, she said that her decision to sign physician-assisted suicide into law was “an incredibly difficult decision,” and that “my mother died of ALS, and I am all too familiar with the pain of seeing someone you love suffer and being powerless to stop it.”

Putting the Vulnerable at Risk
Matt Sharp with Alliance Defending Freedom said that he believes that states allowing physician-assisted suicide are creating a situation in which some of the most vulnerable in American society, “those with disabilities” and “older Americans,” may experience a gradual decline in their quality of care.

“We've seen time and again, when you pass these laws, there becomes this sense of coercion of those individuals to say, 'Oh, you're too much of a burden on your family, or you're too much of a drain on the medical system,’” he said.

“We expect there's possibly more dominoes that will fall as far as other states legalizing assisted suicide, which we find, of course, very unfortunate. And we're following the footsteps of Canada, which has legalized throughout the entire country,” Vice President of Advocacy and Bioethics for the Christian Medical and Dental Association, Dr. Bick Lantz, told CBN News.

How Most Americans Feel about Physician-Assisted Suicide
Over the past 26 years, there was a short span between 2010 and 2013 when the majority of Americans believed that physician-assisted suicide was morally wrong. After 2013, the number of Americans who believe that it’s morally wrong has been on the decline, according to Statista.

This begs the question of what was happening in healthcare at that time, since most Americans believed that physician-assisted suicide was morally wrong. In a nutshell, The National Library of Medicine notes that it was 2010 when Obamacare was signed into law. With this came a “new patient’s bill of rights” and promises that consumers would be protected from insurance industry abuses. There were also promises of cost-free preventive services for Americans, free preventive services for Medicare patients, a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs, the development of organizations that would encourage healthcare providers to collaborate for better care, and promises that healthcare providers would be held accountable.

Then came open enrollment on October 1, 2013, and a gradual reality check that “free healthcare” didn’t truly mean free. Not only were consumers pushed into a system that was still broken, but healthcare costs became more expensive than ever, according to Marsh Business Oliver Wyman.

Interestingly, it was 2014 when the attitudes of the American people shifted, and about 52 percent decided that physician-assisted suicide was morally acceptable. That number has fluctuated mildly ever since, reaching as high as 54 percent during some years.

A Gallup poll in 2024 discovered that 66 – 71 percent of Americans believe that “doctor-assisted suicide” or “euthanasia” is not morally wrong – it all depends on which expression is used.

What the AMA Says About Physician-Assisted Suicide
As for how doctors feel about participating in physician-assisted suicide, that is quickly becoming driven by a matter of conscience and personal beliefs for each doctor. However, the American Medical Association still states in their Code of Medical Ethics that a doctor “…should not abandon a patient once it is determined that a cure is impossible, must respect patient autonomy, must provide good communication and emotional support, must provide appropriate comfort care and adequate pain control.”

It also states that, “Physicians are expected to uphold the ethical norms of their profession, including fidelity to patients and respect for patient self-determination. Yet physicians are not defined solely by their profession. They are moral agents in their own right and, like their patients, are informed by and committed to diverse cultural, religious, and philosophical traditions and beliefs. For some physicians, their professional calling is imbued with their foundational beliefs as persons, and at times the expectation that physicians will put patients’ needs and preferences first may be in tension with the need to sustain moral integrity and continuity across both personal and professional life.”

What has happened in Canada and Other Countries that allow Physician-Assisted Suicide
If America is able to learn any lessons about the slippery slope of physician-assisted suicide, those lessons can perhaps be garnered from other countries.

Canada has one of the quickest growing physician-assisted suicide programs. Though the program started out as one in which only those who had a terminal illness could qualify, it has been expanded to include those who have mental illnesses or a condition that is considered chronic and debilitating, but they’re not necessarily close to death. There have been some reports of those with disabilities seeking physician-assisted suicide because they were unable to qualify for adequate housing and/or disability benefits, according to the BBC.

In an investigation by the Canadian AP that was obtained by PBS, others who have sought out physician-assisted suicide but weren’t close to death included a homeless man who didn’t want to be in long-term care, a severely obese woman, an injured worker with inadequate government assistance, and newly grieving widows. The study found that the pain of these people might have been alleviated if they were able to acquire adequate housing, sufficient living expenses, or meaningful social connections. Canada had the leading number of assisted suicide deaths in the world in 2021, according to Statista. There are several other countries that allow physician-assisted suicide.

Perhaps the most poignant lesson that needs to be learned from the history of physician-assisted suicide is where the focus ended up going during the days of Hitler and the Nazis. Euthanasia was intended to eradicate those with disabilities in Germany who were a financial burden to society and the healthcare system. As the practice progressed, it ended up being applied to anyone who stood in opposition to Hitler’s regime, his governmental policies, and it became a means for attempting to wipe out the Jewish race, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia.

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