Both physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia are requests that might be made by a terminally ill patient with a clear mind in seeking help in dying. Doctor-assisted suicide involves a patient with a clear mind asking a doctor for an order for a prescription that will end his life when he chooses to do so at home. The doctor is generally not present in this context and the patient must have a clear mind and be able to administer the drug himself when he chooses to do so. Voluntary euthanasia is the administration by a doctor of a lethal dose to kill a patient at the patient's request. This practice is considered a criminal offense in almost every state in the United States. Physician-assisted suicide is currently legal in only three US states; Oregon, Washington and