Doctors ask if suicide law applicable

A potential landmark lawsuit was filed Wednesday, by two Connecticut doctors, who want the court to define state law regarding physician assisted suicide, for the terminally ill.

"We're not talking about what Hunt's friend had to do is take a gun and shoot himself; we're talking about compassion," said Dr. Gary Blick of Norwalk.

Hunt is 79-year-old Hunt Williams of Cornwall who five years ago allowed his friend, John Welles, who was riddled with cancer, to shoot himself with a pistol. Even though he didn't pull the trigger, Williams was convicted of 2nd Degree Manslaughter.

"I'm here today to support the lawsuit to have the court declare that a physician who aids a terminally ill, mentally competent adult, in their dying, not be regarded as assisted suicide," said Williams.

Sheldon Smith, 86, of Bethany is dying of abdominal cancer and came to support the effort.

"I like a physician to be able to prescribe medication that I could consume to bring about a peaceful death if my dying process becomes unbearable," said Smith.

"If they want to make that decision to take that bottle of medicine, because it's unbearable, they should be able to without me getting prosecuted for make that prescription happen," said Dr. Blick.

The Executive Director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference said the the church opposes any change in the law because the church believes life should be protected from conception to natural death.

"We're talking about caring for our patients and helping them with comfort the best way we can," said Dr. Blick.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he is ready to defend the law as currently interpreted and that doctors should be approaching the General Assembly to change the law not the courts.

A spokesperson for the doctors say they are ready to pursue this to the State Supreme Court.