The Commission on Assisted Dying has recommended that doctors be given the power to assist terminally ill people, subject to strict restrictions, to end their lives. Details of the recommendations are easily available online. Some thoughts on the ethics.
This emotive subject has been in the background for sometime now, especially since some terminally ill people and their families travelled to Switzerland where assisted death is legal. There are several religious and ethical arguments against legalising assisted death. Many people would argue that life is from God and only God has the right to take it. If this argument carries little weight with some, there are more general ethical concerns.
Whether you are religious or not, life is sacred. This sacredness is undermined if the possibility of legally ending it is in the background. It is conceivable that those terminally ill will feel under pressure to end their lives simply out of guilt that they are placing an enormous burden on their families. Even when, as in most cases, families are highly supportive, the thought cannot be avoided that they are imposing a burden which they can legally end. It is a difficult situation to be in.
We need excellent end of life and palliative care, not assisted death.
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