• Question: Euthanasia - should it be legalised in Britain?

    Asked by slickdragon64 to Helen, Ian on 24 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ian van der Linde

      Ian van der Linde answered on 24 Jun 2011:

      Yes, I think it should. There is a limit to how much suffering somebody should be forced to endure when they are terminally ill. Doctors should not keep people alive against their will and when they have no quality of life. I also think that ‘death clinics’ like Dignitas in Switzerland will eventually be legalised in the UK too – in these clinics, people can go to get a lethal injection if they decide that they can no longer put up with living in pain and discomfort – they call this ‘assisted suicide’. I’m all for people’s right to choose!

    • Photo: Helen Fletcher

      Helen Fletcher answered on 24 Jun 2011:

      This one’s up to you to decide- people have lots of different views on this. Some people think that everyone has the right to die when they want to: suicide is not illegal, so if someone wants to end their life but is unable to do so without assistance, they should have the right to that assistance. Some people may also add that it would free up healthcare resources to other people if those people (who are likely to be requiring a high level of care to keep them alive) are allowed to die. However, other people might argue that life is sacred, and particularly if they are religious, that people have no right to interfere with ‘the will of God’. There are also arguments about difficulty keeping it regulated, and with it being a ‘slippery slope’ if voluntary euthanasia is legalised – where do you draw the line? Will it some day lead to people pressuring others into ending their lives, or making the decision that people should die when that person is unable to make it for themselves? There are a lot of things to consider from both sides. Legalisation in other countries like the Netherlands provides a good model for how it could work if we did legalise it- if you do some research into this you will see that it can be greatly appreciated, but also raise complex legal situations depending on certain individual cases.

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