Several states now offer legal assisted dying. Doctors can write patients a prescription for the fatal drugs, but a healthcare professional must be present when they are administered. All of the states require a day waiting period between two oral requests and a two-day waiting period between a final written request and the fulfilling of the prescription. Palliative sedation, in which someone can ask to be deeply sedated until they die, is permitted in France, but assisted dying is not. In April , a proposal to legalise assisted dying for people with incurable diseases was blocked in the French parliament.
The law will allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live the opportunity to choose assisted dying if approved by two doctors.
It is expected to come into effect in November Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer. In Depth. The countries where euthanasia is legal Currently Reading 1. The pros and cons of legalised assisted dying 3. The countries where euthanasia is legal Currently Reading See all pages. The ethical arguments and definitions Those in favour of euthanasia or assisted dying say that in a civilised society, people should be able to choose when they are ready to die and should be helped if they are unable to end their lives on their own.
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.
As early as , an official report in French cited the annually increasing rates of euthanasia. In 6 years time, a total of 24 contentious cases were reported by the Regional Review Committees to the College of Public Prosecutors. In , these Review Committees only requested additional information for 77 out of 6 cases, or 1.
Of these 77 cases, euthanasia was carried out in 10 cases, even though the doctors did not meet the required conditions. There have been particularly wide-ranging judicial decisions. For example in the case of Albert Heringa, there was acquittal after appeal, even though he assisted his mother to commit suicide under illegal conditions.
On three occasions in , the End-Of-Life clinic was accused by the Regional Review Committees for irregularities in their requests files. Nevertheless this clinic continued unabashedly to develop its activity.
In , two cases of euthanasia were deemed non-compliant with the legal requirements. In spite of this, the End-Of-Life clinic, responsible for the procedures, did not face any criminal charges. Several other controversial cases have been highly publicized.
For example, in , a year-old alcoholic was euthanized at his request. A year-old woman, sexually abused several times during childhood, and suffering from psychological sequelae, was also euthanized. Her doctors concluded that her physical and mental suffering had become unbearable. Subsequently the control committee referred the case to the court for violation of the law by a doctor for the first time in 16 years , but without filing for homicide.
In the Netherlands, there is no formal objection of conscience clause for physicians, thus they cannot refuse euthanasia on personal, moral or ethical grounds. In , the KNGM Royal Dutch Medical Association instituted guidelines, to specify the conditions for practicing euthanasia, and included the physician in the decision-making process for some operations.
He had refused to sedate his patient, considering that she was calm, slept well, and reacted well to doses of morphine, without having any refractory adverse effects. The Council judged that the doctor should have taken into account the psychic suffering of still being alive, and that the mere fact of wanting to die could be qualified as a refractory adverse effect. Prominent figures such as Professor Theo Boer have denounced the slippery slope towards trivialization and a loss of control for euthanasia, which is tending to become the standard way of dying for cancer patients.
In , the KNMG carried out a survey to poll doctors on their opinions on euthanasia. The doctors denounced that the act was being trivialized, and lamented that increasing numbers of patients wished to resort to euthanasia instead of a natural death.
French parliamentarians studied the Dutch law in , during an in-depth study tour. In July , the UN Human Rights Committee expressed apprehension about the high number of cases of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Other similar judgments followed. Thus, it was not an issue of legalizing euthanasia, but one of legalizing the possibility to declare death by euthanasia.
Implicitly, the bill recognized euthanasia as a legitimate medical procedure in some situations. Alliance Vita. B Pressures to extend criteria for euthanasia or assisted suicide On a regular basis, a number of organizations campaign for a broader interpretation of the law. A The Regional Review Committees have a broad interpretation of the law Five Regional Review Committees were established in to evaluate the euthanasia cases and verify that physicians act in accordance with criteria of due care.
B Strong psychological pressure on doctors Prominent figures such as Professor Theo Boer have denounced the slippery slope towards trivialization and a loss of control for euthanasia, which is tending to become the standard way of dying for cancer patients.
Despite these criticisms, the legislation in the Netherlands has not been modified. Doctors and health practitioners are free to choose not to take part in the process. Belinda Teh is walking 3, km 2, miles from Melbourne to her hometown Perth to campaign for euthanasia laws in honor of her mother, who faced a prolonged and painful death from breast cancer. The Australian Medical Association AMA opposes physician-assisted suicide, arguing that better palliative care can address pain and other symptoms of distress.
Religious groups are also opposed to the Act, saying it devalues life.
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