The Limits of the Law at the end of life Falling Foul of Assisted Suicide Laws Legislating for the End of Life End of Life Care & Advance Health Directives Advance Directives, Agents & Covid-19
Introduction
In most western countries, assisted suicide/ voluntary assisted dying remain illegal. Generally speaking, no one can help another person to die, no matter their intention. Furthermore, even in places where there is end of life legislation, the person providing the assistance must be a medical doctor. Only in Switzerland can someone other than a physician assist another to die. In Switzerland alone, the determination of illegality depends on the motives of the person who provides the assistance.
There is no other example in modern western law where it is illegal to help someone to do something which is legal. And it is not just a little bit illegal to help someone to die. Again, generally speaking, the State has little tolerance for this type of behaviour. In some Scandinavian countries (where there is no statute that criminalises assisted suicide), helping someone to die can be prosecuted as manslaughter, or even murder (https:// bit.ly/rtdsweden).
