Assisted Suicide Fast Facts

Fast Facts on Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide

  • Assisted suicide involves one person providing the means and instructions to help another person commit suicide.
  • Assisted suicide is not the same as euthanasia, which is the killing of a person through active (direct) means such as lethal injection, or passive (indirect) means such as withholding food or fluids* or other basic care necessary to sustain a person’s life.
  • Most states have laws which prohibit assisted suicide.
  • Assisted suicide is legal in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Spain and parts of Australia. 
  • It is not legal but is widely practiced in Switzerland which attracts people from all over the world to be assisted with suicide – this is sometimes referred to as “suicide tourism.” 
  • Assisted suicide is legal in California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. (Last Updated 2025)
  • A dozen other states are currently debating assisted suicide legislation. (Last Updated 2025)
  • Legalized assisted suicide never remains contained. Canada, California, Vermont, Colorado, New Jersey and other states that legalized assisted suicide have tried or succeeded in removing many of the so-called “safeguards.”
  • We must remain vigilant about attempts to legalize assisted suicide here in Wisconsin. There have been numerous attempts over decades to legalize assisted suicide in the Badger State.

 

*There are certain situations where it may be ethically appropriate to go without food or fluids, such as when a patient is no longer able to assimilate the nutrients.

Further Reading

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