by William Rehnquist

About the author: William Rehnquist is the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Editor’s Note: The following viewpoint is excerpted from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Washington v. Glucksberg (1997).

The question presented in this case is whether Washington’s prohibition against “caus[ing]” or “aid[ing]” a suicide offends the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. We hold that it does not....

A History of Assisted Suicide Bans

We begin, as we do in all due process cases, by examining our nation’s history, legal traditions, and practices. See, e.g., Planned Parenthood vs. Casey (1992); Cruzan vs. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health (1990); Moore vs. East Cleveland (1977) (plurality opinion) (noting importance of “careful ‘respect for...