NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A former Democratic gubernatorial nominee who is terminally ill is asking the state Supreme Court to take up the question of whether he has a constitutional right to die with a doctor’s help.
John Jay Hooker wants Tennessee to allow physicians to prescribe lethal doses of painkillers to their mentally competent dying patients. A trial court judge last month ruled against Hooker.
In a motion filed Tuesday, Hooker’s attorneys ask the Supreme Court to skip the normal appeals process and take up the case right away. They argue the matter is urgent because Hooker is dying. They also claim the trial court’s ruling has sowed confusion among doctors over what end-of-life care is allowed.
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