The Supreme Court Speaks — Not Assisted Suicide but a Constitutional Right to Palliative Care

The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide.1,2 Unexpectedly, however, the Court did much more than simply uphold the New York and Washington statutes prohibiting assisted suicide. A Court majority effectively required all states to ensure that their laws do not obstruct the provision of adequate palliative care, especially for the alleviation of pain and other physical symptoms of people facing death.The plaintiffs in these cases demanded a “right to die” with physician assistance, not a right to adequate palliative care. The defendant states — Washington and New York — countered . . .