A judge won't dismiss a lawsuit filed by two Massachusetts doctors seeking the right to prescribe lethal doses of medication to mentally competent patients with terminal illnesses without fear of prosecution.
The lawsuit filed last year by retired Dr. Roger Kligler - who has terminal cancer - and Dr. Alan Steinbach asks the court for an injunction to prevent criminal prosecution of what it calls "medical aid in dying," which advocates say isn't the same as assisted suicide.
The Cape and Islands district attorney and the state attorney general had argued that the question of physician-assisted suicide should be addressed by lawmakers.
The Boston Globe reports a judge ruled last week the court doesn't agree that the Legislature is a "superior forum" for grappling with the issue.
