Assisted Dying

Three former directors of public prosecutions have backed proposals to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales ahead of a vote next month. Sir Max Hill, Dame Alison Saunders and Lord Macdonald of River Glaven have expressed support for the bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adu

Several people have been arrested in Switzerland, known for its liberal laws on assisted dying, in connection with a woman's death in a so-called "suicide pod". Prosecutors in Schaffhausen, the country's northern-most canton, were notified on Monday by a law firm that an assisted suicide with the Sa

There is no right to assisted dying under European human rights law, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled by a 6-1 majority. Dániel Karsai, a prominent human rights lawyer in Budapest, Hungary, unsuccessfully argued that the criminalisation of physician-assisted dying (PAD) violated h

Jersey has approved plans to introduce an assisted dying law in the coming years. Members of the States Assembly voted 32 to 14 in favour of introducing the law for people with fewer than six months to live, or 12 months for those with a neurodegenerative condition.

Assisted dying should be made legal in certain restricted circumstances, an Oireachtas committee has recommended. The joint committee on assisted dying, which was established in early 2023, this week published its final report, which recommends a change in the law — though a minority of commit

Portugal has approved new legislation allowing for assisted dying and euthanasia in limited circumstances. The bill was approved by parliamentarians from the governing Socialist Party and its centre-left allies in spite of serious opposition from the country's conservative president, who had vetoed

Terminally-ill children under the age of 12 will be able to avail of assisted dying in the Netherlands for the first time under a proposed widening of the country's liberal euthanasia regime. Since the early 2000s, Dutch law has provided for euthanasia for adults, children over the age of 12 and bab

A citizens' assembly established by the French government has recommended the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted dying. The Citizens' Convention on the End of Life, made up of 184 citizens randomly selected to form a representative selection of French society, submitted its final report to Pres

The European Court of Human Rights made three findings of no violation and one finding of a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights in Mortier v Belgium – a case in which the applicant's mother died by euthanasia. She had not wished to inform her children of her eut

Statistics indicating that those with severe and terminal health conditions were twice as likely to take their own lives have prompted calls for a change in the law from assisted dying campaigners. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the suicide rates for people with cancers with low

Jersey has taken another step towards legalising assisted dying after the island's parliament backed the move by a large majority. In the summer, a citizens' jury convened to consider the issue concluded that terminally ill islanders should be able to seek help to end their life.

The Oireachtas justice committee has recommended the establishment of a special committee to examine the law on assisted dying. The committee has published a report on the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020, which seeks to allow for the provision of assisted dying to qualifying persons with the aim of all

Jersey is to legalise assisted dying after a citizens’ jury voted in favour of a change in the law. Last week, 78 per cent of a citizens' jury that was convened on the issue said that terminally ill islanders should be able to seek help to end their life.

Proposed legislation allowing for physician-assisted dying in Ireland requires "further safeguards", the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said. The rights watchdog today published its analysis and recommendations to the Oireachtas justice committee on the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020,

Legislation allowing for terminally ill people to seek assistance to end their own lives will be debated by TDs next week. The Dying with Dignity Bill, introduced by Gino Kenny, will be debated after being drawn out of the lottery by the Dáil business committee.