Many people have strong beliefs about whether a person should have the right to die when they choose—to end a person’s own perceived pain and suffering, especially when they are terminally ill. These beliefs are often rooted in religion, morals, ethics, law (government-made and natural), and spirituality. Depending on a person’s beliefs or point of view, the issue and related laws may also be referred to as death with dignity, assisted suicide, aid in dying, physician assisted suicide, euthanasia, end of life options, and patient choice and control at the end of life.

Currently eight states and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) have laws (statutes) that permit persons to choose when to end their lives under certain circumstances. These states include (1) California, (2) Colorado, (3) Hawaii, (4) Maine, (5) New Jersey, (6) Oregon, (7) Vermont, and (8) Washington. And although the state of Montana does not have such a statute its supreme court has ruled that nothing in the state’s law prohibits a physician from honoring a terminally ill but mentally competent patient’s request to prescribe medication to expedite the patient’s death. In states without such laws a physician or other person’s act of assisting a person with suicide is generally subject to criminal prosecution for murder or other criminal charges.

In Arkansas, the practice of assisted suicide, including any form of euthanasia or aid in dying, is illegal. The state does not have a statute that allows terminally ill patients to end their lives with the assistance of a physician or any other person. Assisting in another person's suicide can lead to criminal prosecution under Arkansas law. Unlike the states mentioned, such as California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, which have Death with Dignity Acts or similar statutes that permit medically assisted death under certain conditions, Arkansas has not enacted such legislation. Additionally, there is no ruling in Arkansas similar to that of the Montana Supreme Court, which provides legal protection for physicians who assist in the suicide of terminally ill patients. Therefore, any form of assisted suicide remains a prosecutable offense in Arkansas.