The Death with Dignity and Physician-Assisted Suicide ActIntroductionAccording to the American Medical Association (1996), physician-assisted suicide (PAS) occurs when a physician facilitates the death of a patient by providing either the means or information necessary to help the patient complete the life-ending act. PAS has a long and controversial history dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. They believed there was no reason to prolong life if persistent pain and suffering were the only prognosis. The term euthanasia comes from the Greek meaning “a good death”. It was not until Hippocrates and his Hippocratic Oath, warning against lethal drugs to patients, that a different view was taken. Early Christians believed that suicide or martyrdom was an honorable or noble end to life, a way of making the ultimate sacrifice for God. Contrary to this view, Augustine of Hippo condemned suicide as a mortal sin, going against God's law "Thou shalt not kill." As medicine has evolved and progressed exponentially since those ancient times, lifespan may well benefit from an increase in length, but this does not always equate to an increase in quality of life. PAS is a possible solution to this dilemma, although it gives rise to many ethical and legal debates.Literary reviewCurrently, PAS is legal in the United States in three states: Oregon, the first in 1997, then Washington and Montana , both after in 2009. The Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) was proposed in 1994 in Oregon as a way for doctors to legally assist terminally ill people who wanted to end their suffering and choose their own time of death. It was initially blocked by the Fed... middle of paper ... Adopting measures like the DWDA is a real possibility. When the time comes, nurses will surely find themselves facing this problem more frequently. Although it may be legal at this point, it is the nurse who will have to decide as an individual their personal interpretation of the basic nursing concept of “do no harm.” Works Cited Code of Ethics for Nurses. (2001). Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdfLachman, V. (2010). Physician-assisted suicide: compassionate release or murder? MEDSURG Nursing, 19(2), 121-125. Rose, T. (2007). Physician-assisted suicide: Developmental, status, and nursing perspectives. Journal Of Nursing Law, 11(3), 141-151. Volker, D. (2007). Oregon's experience with assisted suicide. Journal of Nursing Law, 11(3), 152-162.