If we drop the descriptors and the term is simply ‘Assisted Suicide’ we are describing the situation in Switzerland where anyone can help someone else to die, as long as their motives are ‘not selfish’ (altruistic).
Generally speaking, ‘assisted suicide’ is legally defined as ‘advising,’ ‘counselling’ or ‘assisting’ a person to end their life. Sometimes the words ‘aid and abet’ are also used. In most countries assisting a suicide carries severe legal penalties.
In the US, the penalties for assisted suicide also vary from state to state with assisting a suicide illegal in just over half of all states. Those where it is not ‘on the statue books’, the offence is prosecuted as manslaughter or even murder. This is similar to the Scandinavian countries. In Australia, penalties for assisting a suicide range from 5 years to life imprisonment, depending upon the state.
In Britain (and Canada) the penalty for assisting is up to 14 years jail. Following a successful campaign by UK MS sufferer Debbie Purdy to seek clarification of the law, in 2009 the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer (now leader of the British Labour Party), issued clarifying guidelines (https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/assisted-suicide).
In March 1999 in Michigan, dying with dignity pioneer, Dr Jack Kevorkian, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 to 25 years jail. He was found guilty of helping his terminally ill patient, Thomas Youk, to die.