Labour's assisted dying proposals are "unworkable" - here's how the likes of New Zealand and Switzerland do it
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It is proposed to allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life. If the bill passes, it will receive further scrutiny from MPs and peers in a process that could last years.
This would be the second step in a long and complex process before it would eventually become UK law. If it is not approved by Parliament, next week, it is unlikely that there would be chance to vote again on the issue for another decade.
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Hide AdUnder the current proposals, an individual could legally take their own life if they:
- Have a life expectancy of less than six months
- Have mental capacity and have a clear and settled intention to end their life.
- Have reached their decision voluntarily.
- There is a High Court judge ruling supporting the action.
Unfortunately, unless this bill is changed, as it passes through the political and legislative process, it is likely to be unworkable. It requires already distressed families to make an application to a judge in the High Court. Over and above the cost, the lack of capacity of the courts to handle extra assisted dying cases is unlikely to result in any firm decisions, bearing in mind the short time frames of the individuals suffering from a terminal diagnosis.


The court system is already struggling under the pressure of huge backlogs, which can lead to hearings being delayed for months, or even years.
Mainland UK is a long way behind The Isle of Man, which is now a step closer to becoming the first part of the British Isles to legalise assisted dying following a further vote in favour by the Isle of Man parliament in July 2024. Politicians on the Isle of Man voted to progress the Assisted Dying Bill, which could make assisted dying available from 2027 to residents who are mentally competent and have less than six months to live and have been residents of the Isle of Man for five years.
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Hide AdThe bill now passes to the Legislative Council, which can amend the legislation but not vote it down. The option of an assisted death on the Island, does also not have the unsurmountable hurdle of a high court hearing.
In practical terms, it will not involve a doctor ending a person’s life, but will be limited to self-administration of a poison.
The UK is unlikely ever to become like Switzerland, the preferred destination for seeking to end their suffering. Dignitas and other organisations, however, are keen to point out that assisted dying is different from euthanasia.
Assisted dying involves providing assistance such as drugs, to terminally ill individuals who wish to end their own lives, while euthanasia involves a third party directly carrying out deliberate act of ending the individual's life.
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Hide AdAccording to the Dignity in Dying campaign group, more than 200 million people around the world have legal access to some form of assisted dying. In addition to Switzerland's assisted suicide is also legal in Austria, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In the US, 11 states allow assisted dying. Known as "physician-assisted dying", it permits doctors to prescribe lethal drugs for self-administration. In Canada medical assistance in dying is also legal as is the case in Colombia, some parts of Australia, but the law differs across states.
New Zealand's End of Life Choice Act legalises assisted dying and allows adults in their final months of life to request assistance from a medical professional.
Obviously helping someone to end their life is a very sad topic but as high profile individuals such as Esther Rantzen highlights, medical organisations and politicians burying their head in the sand on this issue are just ignoring the wishes of many terminally ill people suffering the indignity of pain and distress.
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