Doctor's 18-year term upheld in assisted dying case in Japan

OSAKA (Kyodo) -- The Osaka High Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a doctor to 18 years in prison for the consensual killing of a woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare neurological disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2019 in western Japan.

The defense for 46-year-old Yoshikazu Okubo had argued that finding him guilty of murder would violate the Constitution's right to self-determination. But the high court rejected the appeal, stating that the Constitution presumes the right to life but does not recognize a "right to seek assistance from others to end one's life."