Euthanasia Society of America

"In 1938, the Euthanasia Society of America was set up by the Reverend Charles Francis Potter. Until the 1960s, it tried without success to change the law. Then, under a new President (a Unitarian minister), the Euthanasia Society changed its focus. At that time there was little public support for voluntary euthanasia, so the Society decided to concentrate on the right of the individual to consent to or refuse medical treatment.

"In 1967, lawyer Luis Kutner and the Euthanasia Society drew up the world's first 'living will'. This is a form on which you can say that you do not want doctors to keep you alive if you become incurably ill. Living wills are now legally binding in America, and in many other countries too."

Choice in Dying, later known as Partnership for Caring -- evolved from New York's Euthanasia Society of America.

Related Sourcewatch

 * Ruth Proskauer Smith