assisted suicide

noun

Definition of assisted suicide

: suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person especially : physician-assisted suicide

Examples of assisted suicide in a Sentence

a doctor who has been involved in several assisted suicides an opponent of assisted suicide

Recent Examples on the Web

Hawaii became the sixth state to legalize medically assisted suicide in April when Gov. David Ige signed the legislation into law. — Audrey Mcavoy, The Seattle Times, "Hawaii retirement home clarifies assisted suicide rules," 13 Nov. 2018 Last year, Victoria became the first state in the country to legalize assisted suicide but the law only applies to terminally ill patients and won't be an option until mid-2019. — William Cummings, USA TODAY, "104-year-old Australian scientist travels to Switzerland to end his life," 2 May 2018 He was transferred to a hospital in Belgium, where his father lived, and which allows assisted suicide. — Elizabeth Llorente | Fox News, Fox News, "Woman whose ex killed himself after she attacked him with acid gets life sentence," 25 May 2018 Australia bans assisted suicide, so Goodall flew from his home in Perth to Switzerland, where the practice is legal. — Editors, USA TODAY, "Gina Haspel's confirmation hearing, Pompeo visits North Korea: 5 things to know Wednesday," 9 May 2018 In Switzerland, and some U.S. states, assisted suicide — where patients administer the lethal drug themselves, under medical supervision — is permitted. — NBC News, "Portugal's parliament rejects euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide," 30 May 2018 In Switzerland, and some U.S. states, assisted suicide — where patients administer the lethal drug themselves, under medical supervision — is permitted. — Barry Hatton, The Seattle Times, "Portugal considers allowing euthanasia, assisted suicide," 28 May 2018 Not only has the church been historically opposed to medically assisted suicide and euthanasia, its representatives have often vocally advocated on behalf of keeping terminally ill or vegetative patients on life support indefinitely. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "David Goodall’s physician-assisted suicide raises wider questions.," 21 May 2018 The 104-year-old Australian scientist made headlines last week with his plan to die by assisted suicide in Switzerland. — Char Adams, PEOPLE.com, "104-Year-Old Scientist Dies by Assisted Suicide After Flying to Switzerland to End His Life," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assisted suicide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of assisted suicide was in 1884

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More Definitions for assisted suicide

assisted suicide

noun

English Language Learners Definition of assisted suicide

: suicide with help from another person (such as a doctor) to end suffering from severe physical illness

See the full definition for assisted suicide in the English Language Learners Dictionary

assisted suicide

noun

variants: also assisted death

Medical Definition of assisted suicide

: suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person Surveys also show assisted suicides are taking place covertly, often without a doctor's help. — Mark O'Keefe, The Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), 5 Oct. 1997 especially : physician-assisted suicide Six of the 15 patients who chose assisted suicide in the act's first year had to ask more than one doctor before finding a physician who would write a lethal prescription. — Barry Siegel, The Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 1999