Euthanasia generally involves a health practitioner administering a lethal dose to intentionally end a person’s life, usually in the form of a lethal injection.
Euthanasia is different from assisted suicide, in that assisted suicide involves the person ending their own life administering a lethal dose themselves, whereas euthanasia usually involves a health practitioner administering a lethal dose.
Assisted suicide is legal in a handful of jurisdictions globally including Holland, Belgium, Canada, Colombia and Luxembourg.
Right To Life UK campaigns against any attempt to legalise such euthanasia, and for the development of palliative care services and end of life care that remove any perceived need for euthanasia.
Double euthanasia as former Dutch PM and his wife end their lives together
The former Dutch Prime Minister and his wife had their lives ended in a double euthanasia last week according to media reports. Dries van Agt, Prime Minister in the Netherlands between 1977 and 1982 and the first leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party, and...
Canada delays plans to make euthanasia on the grounds of mental illness alone legal
The Canadian Government has delayed plans to make euthanasia and assisted suicide legal on the grounds of mental illness alone. In December 2022, the Government announced their plan to introduce legislation enabling assisted suicide and euthanasia for those...
Inventor of “suicide machine” reveals three questions device will ask users
The inventor of the suicide capsule has revealed that the device's software will ask three questions of the user before it turns on the power so that the user can press the button to end their own life. Dr Philip Nitschke, founder of the suicide advocacy group Exit...
Calls to expand NZ euthanasia law only two years after it was introduced
A woman in New Zealand has called for the country’s euthanasia law to be expanded to those who are not terminally ill, only two years after euthanasia was introduced. Nicole Martin suffers from a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and has described her...
Prohibition against “the deliberate killing of a patient” removed from Irish Medical Council ethical guidance
The Irish Medical Council (IMC) has removed a prohibition against "the deliberate killing of a patient" from its most up-to-date guide to professional conduct and ethics. Where the eighth edition, released in 2016, in its section on End of Life Care contains the...
Poll shows Dutch support euthanasia for “completed life”
A recent poll has indicated that 80% of Dutch voters believe that euthanasia should be available for those who consider their lives complete. According to the English-language NL Times, a poll revealed that 80% of Dutch voters support euthanasia being available for...