Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Jay Hooker is asking a state court in Tennessee to declare that he has a right to physician assisted suicide. The 84-year-old longtime civil rights activist has terminal cancer, and he wants the Nashville-based court to declare that a terminally ill person has a fundamental right to die with a doctor’s assistance under the Tennessee constitution. Physician assisted suicide is currently permitted in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana. A New Mexico court decision recognizing a fundamental right to assisted suicide is currently under appeal. Mr. Hooker also supports efforts in the Tennessee General Assembly to pass a bill that would legalize assisted suicide.
See Associated Press, Former gubernatorial candidate asks Tennessee to allow assisted suicide, Fox News, July 11, 2015.
