Last November, voters in Massachusetts narrowly defeated a measure legalizing physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill.

WSJ: Assisted suicide on legal agenda in several states

British Columbia's Supreme Court has struck down a portion of Canada's criminal code that bans physician-assisted suicide.

BBC: Canada judge strikes down assisted suicide ban

Massachusetts is scheduled to vote on a similar law in November, while Montana allows physician-assisted suicide as a result of a court case.

WSJ: Assisted-Suicide Advocate Peter Goodwin Takes Own Life

Switzerland and the American state of Oregon have also passed laws which allow some forms of physician-assisted suicide, a practice which goes on everywhere whatever the law says.

ECONOMIST: Let death be my dominion