Issues, Etc. An Assisted Suicide Bill in Illinois & A Medical Journal Article on Compassionate Release of Violent Criminals – Wesley Smith, 11/4/25 (3081)
Nov 4, 2025
Wesley J. Smith, a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute and a bioethics expert, discusses the troubling shift toward legalization of assisted suicide in America, particularly with a bill in Illinois. He highlights how this shift undermines anti-suicide efforts, revealing a concerning societal trend towards eliminating suffering by any means. Smith critiques a recent JAMA article advocating for compassionate releases of violent criminals, questioning its implications for victim rights and medical ethics. His insights underscore the dangers of ideological biases in medical discourse.
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Medicine Recast As A Tool For Death
- Wesley J. Smith argues assisted suicide laws shift medicine from healing to killing by redefining lethal prescriptions as treatment.
- He warns that euphemisms like "medical aid in dying" hide the reality and enable later expansions of eligibility.
From Prevention To Facilitation
- Smith says jurisdictions legalizing assisted suicide mean many suicidal people will be offered facilitation instead of prevention.
- He concludes this trend shows America is no longer uniformly an anti-suicide nation.
Eliminating Suffering Can Mean Eliminating People
- Smith links the shift to valuing elimination of suffering over protecting life, which can morph into eliminating the sufferer.
- He suggests societal purpose changes drive policy changes like assisted suicide acceptance.
