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In Compassion in Dying v. Washington, the United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals stated in its Mar. 6, 1996 ruling (8-3):

“While some people refer to the liberty interest implicated in right-to-die cases as a liberty interest in committing suicide, we do not describe it that way. We use the broader and more accurate terms, ‘the right to die,’ ‘determining the time and manner of one’s death,’ and ‘hastening one’s death’ for an important reason. The liberty interest we examine encompasses a whole range of acts that are generally not considered to constitute ‘suicide.’ Included within the liberty interest we examine, is for example, the act of refusing or terminating unwanted medical treatment…

Casey and Cruzan provide persuasive evidence that the Constitution encompasses a due process liberty interest in controlling the time and manner of one’s death — that there is, in short, a constitutionally recognized ‘right to die.’

[Editors Note: This opinion was later overturned by the Supreme Court in Washington v. Glucksberg] Mar. 6, 1996 - Compassion in Dying v. Washington