The right of a terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history and is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. The exercise of this right is as central to personal autonomy and bodily integrity as rights safeguarded by the Court's decisions relating to marriage, family relationships, procreation, contraception, child rearing and the refusal or termination of …show more content…
We wish to take a strong stand against the separation and opposition between euthanasia and assisted suicide, on the one hand, and palliative care, on the other, that such critics have implied. There is no 'either-or' with respect to these options. Every appropriate palliative option available must be discussed with the patient and, if reasonable, tried before a request for assisted death can be accepted. Studies show that hospice-style palliative care is almost entirely unknown in the Netherlands. There are very few hospice facilities, very little in the way of organized hospice activity, and few specialists in palliative care, although some efforts are now underway to try and jump-start the hospice movement in that