Date/Time
Date(s) - 28/05/2020
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Categories

• Debate

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person but no right to die.

Euthanasia, in which someone other than the individual takes steps to end their life, is legal in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia and Canada.

Assisted suicide, when the individual is helped to end their own life, is more widely available than euthanasia including a number of US states including California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington state, Vermont and the District of Columbia and one Australian state.

Palliative sedation, in which people can request to be kept under deep sedation until they die, is allowed in many countries, but it is not euthanasia.

In the UK, Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal. Euthanasia can lead to a murder charge and assisted suicide could result in a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

A poll by the National Centre for Social Research found that 93% of people in the UK approved of, or wouldn’t rule out, doctor-assisted suicide if the person is terminally ill.

So what safeguards are needed to ensure people are not persuaded to request death by those who wish to benefit and why are politicians so reluctant to bring forward legislation on the topic?

This is your chance to debate the motion

This house believes that people of sound mind have the right to die when they decide.