NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON STATE : Euthanasia Group Assists in Suicide

A right-to-die group said it has assisted in the suicide of a terminally ill cancer patient in his 70s, the organization’s first such case since it was formed for that purpose. Compassion in Dying, a group based in Seattle, is the first group in the United States specifically dedicated to helping patients with terminal illnesses take their own lives. The group will not assist in a suicide unless the patient is clearly suffering from a terminal illness, is rational about the decision to die and is not being driven to suicide by financial worries.