For some patients, treatment refusal will not suffice to hasten death; their only option is suicide. Justice requires that we should allow assisted death for such patients. It is not always possible to relieve this kind of suffering. Thus physician-assisted suicide may be a compassionate response to unbearable suffering. A complete prohibition on assisted death excessively limits personal liberty.
Therefore physician-assisted suicide should be allowed in certain cases. For example, morphine drips ostensibly used for pain relief may be a covert form of assisted death or euthanasia. That physician-assisted suicide is illegal prevents open discussion, in which patients and physicians could engage. However as Huxtable points out, other jurisdictions including Oregon show that broadening of use is not inevitable. There have also been allegations of malpractice.
In both the Netherlands and Belgium reported their first cases in which doctors were investigated for possibly breaching the laws , with three more investigations under way in the Netherlands involving the euthanasia of psychiatric patients. There have been concerns by disabilities groups that as euthanasia and assisted suicide become more common, it could put a pressure on those living with non-terminal conditions to end their lives.
But van der Heide says doctors in the Netherlands take great care when dealing with requests to make sure patients meet strict requirements, and turn down those who do not. She adds that the development of laws to allow euthanasia or assisted dying must be handled carefully.
Guardian design Illustration: Guardian Design. Which countries permit any of these variants? GPs to be consulted for views on assisted dying. Read more. Death on demand: has euthanasia gone too far?
Euthanasia a choice for people with disability? It's a threat to our lives Craig Wallace. Topics The briefing Netherlands Switzerland. Reuse this content. The Week Unwrapped: Fashion for rent, a chip shortage and euthanasia The pros and cons of legalised assisted dying Assisted dying bill: MPs reject 'right to die'.
Assisted dying can refer to either euthanasia or assisted suicide. Which countries have legalised euthanasia? Switzerland Probably the first country that comes to mind in relation to assisted dying, Switzerland allows physician-assisted suicide without a minimum age requirement, diagnosis or symptom state.
Euthanasia is not legal in the country. Netherlands Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the Netherlands in cases where someone is experiencing unbearable suffering and there is no chance of it improving. Parental consent is needed for those under Spain In March , Spain made it legal for people to end their own life in some circumstances.
Belgium Belgium allows euthanasia and assisted suicide for those with unbearable suffering and no prospect of improvement. Luxembourg Assisted suicide and euthanasia are both legal in Luxembourg for adults.
Canada In March , Canada expanded its law on assisted dying. In Quebec, only euthanasia is allowed. Colombia Colombia was the first Latin American country to decriminalise euthanasia, in , and the first such death happened in USA Several states now offer legal assisted dying.
France Palliative sedation, in which someone can ask to be deeply sedated until they die, is permitted in France, but assisted dying is not. The pros and cons of legalised assisted dying. The countries where euthanasia is legal - currently reading. Penguin arrives in New Zealand after epic journey. One argument against euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is the Hippocratic Oath, dating back some 2, years. All doctors take this oath. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty.
As the world has changed since the time of Hippocrates, some feel that the original oath is outdated. In some countries, an updated version is used, while in others, for example, Pakistan, doctors still adhere to the original.
As more treatments become available, for example, the possibility of extending life, whatever its quality, is an increasingly complex issue. In , the first anti-euthanasia law in the U. In time, other states followed suit. In the 20th Century, Ezekiel Emmanual, a bioethicist of the American National Institutes of Health NIH said that the modern era of euthanasia was ushered in by the availability of anesthesia.
The Netherlands decriminalized doctor-assisted suicide and loosened some restrictions in In doctor-assisted suicide was approved in Belgium. In the U. These became legal in California in , with other states soon following suit. In the living will, the person states their wishes for medical care, should they become unable to make their own decision. In , voters in Oregon approved the Death with Dignity Act, allowing physicians to assist terminal patients who were not expected to survive more than 6 months.
The Terri Schiavo case galvanized public opinion in Florida and the U. In , Various arguments are commonly cited for and against euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Freedom of choice : Advocates argue that the patient should be able to make their own choice. Quality of life : Only the patient really knows how they feel, and how the physical and emotional pain of illness and prolonged death impacts their quality of life.
Witnesses : Many who witness the slow death of others believe that assisted death should be allowed. Resources : It makes more sense to channel the resources of highly-skilled staff, equipment, hospital beds, and medications towards life-saving treatments for those who wish to live, rather than those who do not.
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