The most common approach to securing the right-to-die
inserts a new law into the health-care section of any set of laws.
This gives a new authority to licensed physicians
—namely to authorize the use of deadly chemicals
for the sole purpose of bringing death to selected patients,
who have applied for such aid in ending their lives.

    In contrast, the new premature-death approach
inserts a new law into the homicide section of any set of laws.
This defines a new crime against patients who were believed to be dying.
And when it defines this crime and its punishment,
it also permits other non-harmful behavior (by anyone, not just doctors)
that will result in wisely-chosen deaths.

    In other words, outlawing causing premature death
could at the same time legalize help in dying
when the intended death is not premature.
When we make wise end-of-life medical choices,
we are not causing premature death.

    The safeguards embodied in the proposed law
(linked at the bottom of this file)
become the operational method of separating
the harmful behavior of causing a premature death
from the helpful behavior of making wise, end-of-life medical decisions.

    Here are the advantages of this new approach:

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