Assisted suicide and euthanasia

Ecuador’s high court decriminalizes euthanasia, following a lawsuit by a terminally ill patient

QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuador’s high court on Wednesday decriminalized euthanasia and ordered lawmakers and health officials to draft rules and regulations for the procedure. The decision of Ecuador’s Constitutional Court …

Minnesota lawmakers kick off debate on joining other states that permit physician-assisted suicide

by Margaret Jenner

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Legislature kicked off debate Thursday on whether the state should join the list of those that allow physician-assisted suicide. A House health committee took …

German federal court denies 2 seriously ill men direct access to lethal drug dose

by Margaret Jenner

BERLIN — A German federal court on Tuesday denied two seriously ill men direct access to a lethal dose of a drug, arguing that the country’s narcotics law stands in …