Supreme Court of Montana to Decide Whether Assisted Suicide Is a State Constitutional Right

Today, the Supreme Court of Montana will take up the claim that a doctor violated a man’s state constitutional rights by denying the man assisted suicide.  Details are below:

• If the claim is successful, Montana will become the first state to declare a state constitutional right to medical aid in dying.
• The ultimate ruling from the Montana Supreme Court cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because this is solely a question of state constitutional interpretation.
• The state’s constitution and past supreme court decisions emphasize personal autonomy.
• Lawyers on both sides say the claim stands a good chance of prevailing.

See Kirk Johnson, Montana Court to Rule on Assisted Suicide Case, NY Times, Aug. 31, 2009.