Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide

Voluntary euthanasia is the act of ending a life painlessly or allowing a person to die by withholding medical measures. The phrase 'physician assisted suicide/dying' is often used. This refers to when a doctor prescribes a medication which the patient will take with the end result being their death.

As the law currently stands in the UK assisted dying is not allowed in any form. In May 2006 a bill which would have allowed terminally ill people to be helped to die was blocked.

There are only 3 countries and 1 US state where assisted suicide is legal - these are Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium and Oregon in the US. Some people in the UK travel to these countries to end their life in the way they choose. However, when supporting family members return to the UK they are often arrested and questioned about their involvement in the death.

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are highly controversial topics that have been fiercely debated for many years and have been front page news many times in recent years. The most recent and well known case was that of Diane Pretty in 2003.

In 1999 Diane was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Diane decided she wanted to end her life but needed the help of her husband to do so due to the nature of her condition, a progressive and debilitating disease which affected her ability to move. Diane died of breathing difficulties just 3 days after losing her case at the European Court of Human Rights.

A recent British Social Attitudes report suggested eight out of ten of people support a law change to allow doctors to actively end the lives of terminally ill patients who want to die. Only 60% supported doctors prescribing, but not administering, drugs someone could use to end their own life.

You can find information on both sides of the debate at:

Dignity in Dying

Care not Killing

British Medical Association

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Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide