Couching their agenda in euphemisms such as ‘dignity’ and ‘compassion’, the ‘Right to Die’ movement aggressively pushes both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. They maintain the stance that assisted suicide is a fundamental right, while refusing to legalise it is an inhibition of free will.  Continue reading

One could easily be forgiven for thinking that the whole world is experiencing a massive culture shift towards legislating for assisted suicide; that the zeitgeist has captured this issue like it has with climate change, for example. Continue reading

Some of the discourse on assisted suicide and euthanasia can make the question seem complicated. In essence the proposition is quite simple: should our society allow doctors to support a person’s wish to suicide or not? Continue reading

The Dutch legalised both euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002. The data shows an overwhelming preference for euthanasia. In 2015, there were 6672 euthanasia deaths and 150 assisted suicide deaths; the total comprising at least 4.5% of all deaths. In recent years the discussion about ‘life ending actions’ has turned to assisted suicide for ‘completed life’; where a person over a certain age may declare that they wish to end their lives even though they may have no presenting, serious medical issues. Continue reading

Is euthanasia really the answer to suffering or terminal illness? Or is it merely a slippery slope to killing vulnerable individuals? Continue reading

Who are we going to trust? In the modern era, the role of the doctor has moved away from a paternalistic one and more towards an informed consent model where the patient gets to discuss their preferences for treatment rather than simply being told what the doctor has decided to do. Continue reading

Jeanette Hall is a resident of Oregon. In 1997 she voted for their assisted suicide law. Continue reading

The findings from two separate polls on ‘assisted dying’ were released last weekend by Victoria’s two main newspapers. Continue reading

We have nothing positive to gain by legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide, but we have so much to lose.  Continue reading

In 2015, the UN Human Rights Committee began a process looking to arrive at what is known as a ‘General Comment’ on Article 6 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Continue reading