Hearing over assisted-suicide lawsuit

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut judge is set to hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by two doctors and end-of-life advocates who want a clarification of the state's ban on assisted suicide.

State officials have asked for a dismissal of the lawsuit, which seeks a ruling on whether the state law affects doctors who help their terminally ill patients die. The hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Hartford Superior Court.

The two doctors want the court to declare that physicians will not face criminal charges if they provide a prescription to mentally competent patients who want to use medication to end their lives peacefully.

Connecticut law makes it a crime to assist another person in committing suicide, but the doctors deny that's what they're advocating.