The term "physician-assisted suicide" usefully identifies a practice that is, and should be, a source of considerable controversy these days. Typically, the practice in question involves two crucial actors: a doctor and a terminally ill patient whose death is likely to occur within a short time. Knowing the condition of the patient and responding to the patient's request, the doctor prescribes a drug that should cause the patient's death shortly after it is taken. That's the "physician-assisted" half of the practice. The "suicide" occurs, if it ever does, shortly after the patient ingests the drug.
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