POTTSVILLE, Pennsylvania – A judge has upheld charges against a U.S. woman accused of helping her 93-year-old father kill himself through a morphine overdose.
Prosecutors in Pennsylvania have charged 57-year-old nurse Barbara Mancini with aiding suicide.
A judge refused to drop the charges after a preliminary hearing Thursday.
Police say Mancini handed Joseph Yourshaw a bottle of liquid morphine at his home in February, leading to his death four days later.
Mancini remains free on bail. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.
An advocacy group called Compassion & Choice supports Mancini and says her father had end-stage diabetes and heart problems.
The group says the U.S. Supreme Court allows dying patients to receive adequate pain relief, even if it hastens their death.