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 South Carolina, the right to die or physician-assisted suicide is not legally recognized. The state does not have statutes that allow for death with dignity or aid in dying for terminally ill patients. Assisting someone in ending their life is considered a criminal act and can lead to prosecution for murder or other criminal charges. Unlike the eight states and the District of Columbia that have laws permitting medically assisted death under certain conditions, and Montana where the state's Supreme Court has allowed for such actions under specific circumstances, South Carolina maintains a prohibition on these practices. Therefore, any form of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is illegal in South Carolina, reflecting the state's stance on the issue which is influenced by ethical, moral, and legal considerations.