Should Assisted Dying Be Legalised in the UK?

SHOULD ASSISTED DYING BE LEGALISED IN THE UK
Contents
SHOULD ASSISTED DYING BE LEGALISED IN THE UK.........................................................1
Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 1
Conclusion................................................................................................................................................. 7
References................................................................................................................................................. 8
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Introduction
When a person is diagnosed with terminal illness the end of it and the sufferings
caused due to its symptoms is the death and end of life ultimately. The question
arise here is it ethical to calmly wait for the life to end and let the person be in
such physical and mental sufferings or it is just fine to allow the person to take
decision for ending his own life as his own right (Hendry et al, 2013). Assisted
dying is defined as a kind of suicide that is physician assisted in the terminal
stages of life diagnosed with end of life illness. It is referred to the death of a
person by his own will and without any force of any other person or element in
his life. Where the assisted dying concept is considered as taboo in some parts
of the world it is even right that an individual should have right to his own life and
death.
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Assisted dying will always be in question due to legal and moral values of the
society. The question is whether the state, UK, should intervene in the personal
choice of an individual to die rather than live. It is the responsibility of the state to
uphold the moral values of the society in which the primary role of a physician is
to save lives. Also it contradicts with the right to die, which has been advocated
by some individuals of the community.
An individual who has been diagnosed with terminal illness and has left a few
months of painful living wants a good quality of death opposed to a poor quality
of living. Assisted dying should be legalized for such terminally incurable
individuals who have the right to ensure less suffering.The assisted dying bill
should permit that the adults who have six months or less to live be provided the
assistance to die. The patient should be diagnosed with terminal illness and must
be in the right frame of mind to make an informed decision about taking his or her
life (Attaran, 2015). Also it should be confirmed that the decision is a voluntary
one rather than forced on the person. The person must be informed of all other
available options such as palliative care, hospice care and more. Assisted dying
is better then voluntary euthanasia as it relieves the doctor to go against his
moral duty of saving patients. The physician can prescribe life-ending medicine,
which the patient can take after considering all the options and take a few days to
consider the implications of the decision. Also the diagnosis of terminal illness
should be counterchecked by another physician for assurance (Gostin and
Roberts, 2016).
Legalization of assisted dying though provides a person the right to decide what
to do with his own life, is a tricky concept. The concept of passing a bill for
assisted dying in UK came into existence in 2011 when in House of Lords; Lord
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