The legal pinnacle of medical aid in dying in the United States was 30 years ago this spring.
In April and May, 1996, more than a dozen federal appellate judges issued judgments holding that Washington and New York laws criminalizing assisted suicide violated the U.S. Constitution.
In June 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed both Courts of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits. But between mid-1996 and mid-1997, it seemed that medical aid in dying might be treated like contraception and abortion and afforded federal constitutional protection.
Hilariously, Washington v Glucksberg became the prime precedent overturning Roe v Wade. Oops.
ReplyDeleteYes. Even if SCOTUS had affirmed either Quill v Vacco or Glucksberg v Washington back in 1997, they would have been overruled by now like Dobbs overruled Roe.
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