Physician-assisted suicide

Katie Engelhart explores the complexity of physician-assisted death in the book The Inevitable. She says patients seeking to end their own lives sometimes resort to veterinary drugs from overseas.

Dying in America doesn't always go the way we plan. One terminally ill man's hope to be disconnected from his respirator and donate his organs was almost thwarted, despite his best laid plans.

Canadian lawmakers have passed legislation to legalize physician-assisted death. It comes after an intense debate about who should be eligible for the option.

Now that California has legalized aid in dying, doctors there need to know what to say to patients. They're getting help from doctors in Oregon, who have been answering these questions for decades.

The superior court judge says questions raised in the case should be decided by legislatures or voters, not the court. The terminally ill plaintiffs say they'll appeal his decision.

Jennifer Glass was a newlywed when she was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. "I'm doing everything I can to extend my life," she says, while advocating for a right-to-die law in California.

Many Christian denominations officially oppose legislation that would legalize medically assisted suicide. But some individual churches, pastors and congregants are lending support to the cause.

Dr. Dan Swangard doesn't know if he would take lethal medications to hasten death. But as someone with metastatic cancer, he wants to have that choice. He's part of a suit to change California law.

Robert Schwimmer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013 and wants to hasten death if he finds himself in agonizing pain. His family stands ready to help, but have legal and spiritual concerns.

Several states allow doctors, in certain circumstances, to help terminally ill people end their lives. The emotionally charged issue is at the center of the latest Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.