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Whether a person has access to assisted dying is largely dictated by their country of residence. In many countries around the world, assisted dying is completely illegal, whereas in others it is legal in very specific circumstances.
In the United Kingdom, assisted dying is currently illegal in all scenarios. However, that may be set to change, as MPs make a historic vote on a contentious bill that would legalize the practice.
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"Assisted dying" is the term used when someone who is terminally ill receives a lethal drug from a medical practitioner and then administers it themselves.
Despite it being illegal in many countries around the world, the Dignity in Dying campaign group says that more than 200 million people globally have legal access to assisted dying.
Switzerland is often the first country that springs to mind when someone mentions assisted dying. Indeed, the practice has been legal there since 1942.
However, there are several other countries that allow assisted dying. They include Austria, Canada, Colombia, Spain, and certain states in the US.
In the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, there are even laws that allow for assisted dying in patients who are not considered terminally ill.
In the United Kingdom, assisted dying is currently illegal. That may soon change, however, as MPs recently voted in favor of a bill that would legalize the practice.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced by a Labour MP, and proposes that terminally ill people should have the right to end their own lives.
Of course, the process of assisted dying would be strictly controlled, and the patient must meet certain criteria in order for it to be allowed.
Firstly, the patient must be over 18 years of age and live in England and Wales, and they must have been registered with a general practitioner for at least 12 months.
The person wishing to end their life must also be expected to die within six months, and they must have the capacity to make the choice.
They must make two separate declarations about their wish to die, both of which must be witnessed and signed, and they must be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled, and informed wish that was free from coercion or pressure.
Two independent doctors must be satisfied that the patient is eligible for assisted dying, and there must be a period of at least seven days between each assessment.
Under the proposed law, a High Court Judge would have to give a ruling every time a person makes a request for access to assisted dying.
The person who made the request would then have to wait for a period of 14 days after the ruling is made, allowing themselves a period of reflection.
With all the safeguards in place, the doctor would prepare the lethal substance, and then the person wishing to die would administer it themselves.
It would be a criminal offense to use dishonesty, pressure, or coercion to make someone declare that they want to end their own life. The offense would carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
UK MPs voted on this bill after five hours of heated debate. They were given a free vote, which means that they did not have to follow party instructions.
In the historic vote, 330 MPs voted in favor of the bill, and 275 voted against. The bill will therefore move forward in the legislative process with the support of the House of Commons.
However, it may be months or even years before the bill becomes law. Indeed, it must still pass through another five parliamentary stages handled by MPs, five stages handled by peers, and then further rounds of voting.
And, of course, it is perfectly possible that the bill fails and never becomes law at all. For MPs who voted against the bill, this would be the preferable option.
Opponents of the proposed law on assisted dying used several convincing arguments to debate the issue in the House of Commons.
The main argument was that if assisted dying were legal, people could be put under pressure to end their own lives.
Critics of the bill spoke personally and anecdotally of their concerns for vulnerable and disabled people, and they called for an improvement in palliative care instead.
Supporters of the bill, on the other hand, made the argument that people should have the right to choose, because sometimes a painful and traumatic death is unavoidable, despite the best end-of-life care.
To further their case, they argued that the bill, if made law, would include the strictest safeguards for assisted dying that exist anywhere in the world.
They also cited a statistic on the number of terminally ill people who already end their own lives each year, so as to demonstrate that the status quo is not working.
As previously mentioned, the assisted dying bill still has several legislative hurdles to clear before it becomes law. If it is eventually passed, however, it could mean drastic, albeit carefully controlled, changes to the rights and freedoms afforded to terminally ill patients.
Sources: (BBC) (The Guardian)
See also: Surprising truths about death
The law on assisted dying: status quo and proposals for change
UK MPs vote on a contentious bill
LIFESTYLE Legislation
Whether a person has access to assisted dying is largely dictated by their country of residence. In many countries around the world, assisted dying is completely illegal, whereas in others it is legal in very specific circumstances.
In the United Kingdom, assisted dying is currently illegal in all scenarios. However, that may be set to change, as MPs make a historic vote on a contentious bill that would legalize the practice.
Check out this gallery to find out more.