Vacco v. Quill and Washington v. Glucksberg: Thou Shalt Not Kill, Unless Your State Permits Physician-Assisted Suicide

Abstract

This Note will examine the Court's decisions in Vacco and Glucksberg and discuss their implications on a terminally ill patient's right to die. Part II traces the history of the Court's expansion of constitutional rights and its interpretation of the right to die. Part III presents the facts and procedural history of Vacco and Glucksberg, followed by an analysis of the majority and the concurring opinions in Part IV. Part V then considers Vacco's and Glucksberg's judicial, legislative, and social impact. Part VI concludes with a look at the future of physicianassisted suicide in light of the Court's decisions in Vacco and Glucksberg.