National Catholic Register, Matthew McDonald:
A court decision in Massachusetts this week keeps assisted suicide in the hands of state legislators and voters — and sets up a likely political fight in the coming new year.
The state’s highest court on Monday refused to declare a right to assisted suicide under the state’s constitution, in a highly anticipated opinion that was considered overdue.
To date, no court in the United States has ever declared assisted suicide a fundamental right, as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court noted in its opinion. The court also acknowledged longstanding precedent suggesting that state government has a legitimate interest in trying to prevent people from killing themselves, even in cases where remaining life may be short and painful. Report is here.
