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 Iowa, the right to die or physician-assisted suicide is not legally recognized. The state does not have statutes that allow for individuals to end their lives, even under circumstances of terminal illness and suffering. Unlike the eight states and the District of Columbia that have Death with Dignity laws, which permit terminally ill, mentally competent adults to voluntarily request and receive a prescription medication to hasten their death, Iowa has no such provision. Additionally, Iowa law generally considers assisting in a suicide as a criminal act, which could lead to charges such as manslaughter or other criminal liabilities. Therefore, an attorney advising on end-of-life options in Iowa would inform individuals that they do not have the legal right to physician-assisted suicide and would discuss alternative legal end-of-life care options, such as advance directives and palliative care.