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 Virginia, as of the current legal framework, there is no statute that allows for a terminally ill patient to legally choose to end their own life, a practice often referred to as 'death with dignity' or 'physician-assisted suicide.' Virginia law does not permit any form of assisted suicide, and such actions could lead to criminal prosecution for those involved. The states that do have statutes permitting some form of medically assisted death include California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia. Additionally, while Montana does not have a specific statute, its Supreme Court has recognized the legality of physician-assisted death under certain circumstances. In Virginia, however, individuals and attorneys must navigate end-of-life issues within the constraints of existing laws that do not recognize the right to die as a legal option.