Wednesday, June 29, 2011

UK: Current Legal Clarifications Of Assisted Suicide


Here's a good discussion of the current state of affairs around assisted suicide in the UK. Most useful, I think, is the reporting of the UK Government guidelines around assisted sucide issued last year. They are completely toothless, focusing on the intent of the death helper, who must help kill out of "altruistic" reasons as a means of not running foul of the authorities. How the authorities are able to verify this is still a complete mystery.
Assisted suicide — Ireland’s stance in a world context
The recent BBC programme presented by writer Terry Pratchett on assisted suicide and euthanasia has again raised the complicated ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding these issues. Pratchett, who has Alzheimer’s, followed two people who decided to go to Dignitas in Switzerland to die. One of them allowed the cameras in as he ingested a cocktail of drugs to end his life.
Assisted suicide is when an individual takes his or her own life with the guidance, information and/or medication provided by a third party. more

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