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assisted suicide
noun
plural assisted suicides
: the act of suicide carried out by someone with assistance from another person
especially
: physician-assisted suicide
Examples of assisted suicide in a Sentence
a doctor who has been involved in several assisted suicides
an opponent of assisted suicide
Recent Examples on the Web
The practice of doctor assisted suicide is growing in the west.
—Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Other countries that have legalized assisted suicide include Australia, Belgium, Canada and parts of the United States, with regulations on who is eligible varying by jurisdiction.
—Brian Melley and Pan Pylas The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
Both organizations advocate for the right to assisted suicide.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 7 Oct. 2024
In 2002, the Netherlands legalised both assisted suicide and, in a world first, euthanasia.
—The Week, theweek, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for assisted suicide
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Word History
First Known Use
1884, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near assisted suicide
Cite this Entry
“Assisted suicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assisted%20suicide. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
assisted suicide
noun
variants
also assisted death
: the act of suicide carried out by someone with assistance from another person
Surveys also show assisted suicides are taking place covertly, often without a doctor's help.—Mark O'Keefe, The Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
especially
: physician-assisted suicide
Six of the 15 patients who chose assisted suicide in the act's first year had to ask more than one doctor before finding a physician who would write a lethal prescription. —Barry Siegel, The Los Angeles Times
Legal Definition
assisted suicide
noun
: suicide committed by someone with assistance from another person
especially
: physician-assisted suicide
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