Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Mexico Supreme Court Overturns Law Allowing Doctors To Help End Patients' Lives
The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that terminally ill patients cannot end their lives with help from doctors. In a 5-0 opinion issued Thursday, the high court overturned a previous district court decision that doctors could not be prosecuted under the state's assisted suicide law, which classifies helping with suicide as a fourth-degree felony. (6/30)
Jennifer Holm is giving up her plan to sue the state of Iowa for the right to obtain doctor assistance in ending her life...Holm, 45, has two terminal illnesses that she has battled for years. She hasn鈥檛 been given a specific timeline from doctors but she can tell that the diseases are advancing. She cites her dwindling energy, which has left her sleeping 14 hours or more most days, as the reason for her decision not to pursue a lawsuit against Iowa.