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 Louisiana, 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, and Montana where the state's Supreme Court has allowed for physician-assisted death under certain conditions, Louisiana maintains that assisting in suicide is a criminal act. Therefore, any physician or individual who participates in such acts could potentially face criminal prosecution for murder or related charges. The beliefs surrounding the right to die are complex and multifaceted, but in Louisiana, the legal stance is clear in its prohibition of assisted suicide.