Bill allows adults with incurable illness to take lethal medication, as public demands grow across Europe for legal end-of-life options.

• The proposed measure on lethal medication introduces a framework for assisted dying under specific conditions.

What is Assisted Dying?

• Assisted dying can take two forms: Euthanasia or Assisted suicide.
  • Euthanasia: A third party actively ends a patient's life to relieve suffering; called voluntary euthanasia if done with the patient’s consent.
    • Active Euthanasia: A deliberate act (E.g. lethal injection) by a medical professional or another person that directly causes a patient's death.
    • Passive Euthanasia: Letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment (E.g. switching off a ventilator, not administering life-extending drugs).
  • Assisted Suicide: Medical practitioner will prescribe a lethal drug which patients take themselves in order to die.

Ethical issues involved in Assisted Dying            

• Risk of Coercion: Fear of pressure on the non-terminally ill or disabled to opt for euthanasia.
• Allegations of Malpractice: Eg. Countries like Netherlands and Belgium have investigated cases (psychiatric patients especially).
• Sanctity of Life: Devalues human life as taking life is inherently wrong and immoral.
• Against medical ethics: of nursing, care giving and healing