# Assisted-dying laws: What defines "terminal" in terminal illness?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assisted-dying-laws-what-defines-terminal-in-terminal-illness/776259>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 3, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assisted-dying-laws-what-defines-terminal-in-terminal-illness/776259 "2017-01-03T20:05:30Z")\
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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assisted-dying-laws-what-defines-terminal-in-terminal-illness/776259/3 "2017-01-03T20:27:12Z")

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My state (WI) defines “terminal condition” as an incurable condition caused by injury or illness that reasonable medical judgment finds would cause death imminently, so that the application of life-sustaining procedures serves only to postpone the moment of death.

From Chapter 154, Declarations to Physicians and do-not-resuscitate orders Wis. Stats. Database

The state seems to leave it up to my reasonable medical judgment as to what time frame _imminently_ falls into. Thanks, state! I’ve lost some sleep over that one on a few occasions. But not on most of them, I will admit.

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