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assisted suicide
noun
plural assisted suicides
: the act of suicide carried out 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
In 2002, the Netherlands legalised both assisted suicide and, in a world first, euthanasia.
—The Week, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
President of Sarco's operator, assisted suicide organization The Last Resort, Dr Florian Willet, was arrested after the woman's death and remains in custody, along with several others, whilst police investigate what transpired.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Now 77, Nitschke first explored the idea of delegating assisted suicide to machines in the 1990s.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 15 Oct. 2024
There are unresolved controversies: Should assisted suicide be legal as Michigan's Dr. Jack Kevorkian advocated and carried out?
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for assisted suicide
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Word History
First Known Use
1884, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near assisted suicide
Cite this Entry
“Assisted suicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assisted%20suicide. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
assisted suicide
noun
variants
also assisted death
: the act of suicide carried out 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)
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
Legal Definition
assisted suicide
noun
: suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person
especially
: physician-assisted suicide
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