Euthanasia is the act of ending a terminally ill patient’s life in order to prevent suffering. It is a chance for patients to have dignity in death, after the loss of power they have experienced as a result of their illness. It provides a peaceful end for patients who have endured constant pain for so long. But despite all of this, euthanasia has been illegal in the UK for a long time. That is why the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill” has been proposed: a chance to return control to those whose illnesses have taken so much from them.
Whilst physician assisted suicide may seem drastic, it is arguably much safer than the current ban, an opinion which is shared by 63% of people, according to a recent study from “Dignity in Dying” , a national campaign fighting for the rights of terminally ill patients. Each year, between 300 and 650 terminally ill patients end their lives in the UK.
The old legislation put in place to supposedly protect patients ultimately leaves them vulnerable to dangerous and traumatic attempts at suicide, which are often not successful, or unnecessarily painful and violent deaths – circumstances which could be avoided by legalising euthanasia.
The “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill” involves extensive safety measures. Firstly, there is a strict eligibility criteria, which includes, but is not exclusive to, the patient being over the age of 18, them having a terminal illness - one in which the progression is inevitable, or a disease which cannot be reversed by treatment - and having the mental capacity to make this decision. Furthermore, each patient is assessed by professionals. This includes a multi-disciplinary panel, who must make a unanimous decision on whether the criteria has been met, as well as two or more doctors who must independently confirm that the patient has made the decision without coercion. This eliminates the risk of involuntary euthanasia, as one reason that some are opposed to assisted suicide is due to the danger of vulnerable individuals being pressured into choosing death. This new legislation will allow patients to die in a safe, controlled environment, as opposed to the old laws, which put countless dying people in danger, when they are most in need of protection.
Euthanasia is not a new issue; campaigns for the rights of terminally ill patients began almost a century ago. The continuous fight for assisted dying only emphasises its importance, as more and more patients are forced to unwillingly suffer. Tony Nicklinson, for example, who was diagnosed with locked-in syndrome caused by a stroke, was left to
wait, terrified, for his death, and Paul Lamb, who was paralysed after a car accident, lived with chronic pain for over a decade. Both campaigned for their right to autonomy and were still denied the ability to make their own decisions regarding the ends of their lives.
These are just two examples of patients left with no options, as many more face similar challenges every year. Despite many attempts to change the laws on assisted dying, no bill has made it as far in the process as the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill”
, which had its first reading in October 2024, and has since progressed to examination in the House of Lords. This breakthrough is a result of years of campaigning, starting with the “Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society” in the 1930s, up to the “Give Us Our Last Rights” campaign in 2024. An issue which has lasted this long is one which deserves attention.
Physician assisted suicide is legal in many countries and states: Switzerland, Australia, Oregon, Washington and many more. So why has the UK denied critically ill patients the choice that they deserve for so long? Every 8 days, someone from Britain travels to Switzerland for help to end their life. Patients should have the choice to die at home
surrounded by the people they love, not alone in another country, far from familiarity. The UK has failed to support terminally ill patients, forcing many to leave their families for the opportunity to gain control over their death. For many, this is not an option – over half of the UK population would personally consider flying to Switzerland for assisted dying, whilst only a quarter would be able to afford it. This illuminates the desperate need for euthanasia, to allow so many patients the choice they deserve. Some people argue that legalising euthanasia is accepting that the lives of the critically ill are worth less than others – but it is in fact the opposite. Legalising assisted dying shows patients that their lives are so valuable that they deserve the chance to end it in the way that they choose.
Terminally ill patients’ diseases have already taken so much from them: their liberty, their independence, their future. They should at least have a right to make their own choices in death, when so much in their lives has been dictated by their disease. Euthanasia does not just prevent suffering – it introduces freedom for those who deserve it the most.