The Liberals once tried to build a big tent to include a range of political positions. Recent conflicts over energy, same-sex marriage and euthanasia show this is no longer sustainable.
In the UK, euthanasia is ignored by parliamentarians in favour of political survival.
The province of Nova Scotia is leading the way in defining the terms of Canada’s ambiguous law on medically assisted dying. Here Liana Brittain is seen in Halifax in front of a projection of her late husband Paul B. Couvrette, who received a medically assisted death in P.E.I. on Sept. 15, 2017.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
New Zealand MPs will cast a conscience vote on a euthanasia bill. But with 49 out of 120 seats held by ‘list’ MPs, this raises issues about the democratic process under the country’s electoral system.
The Massachusetts Medical Society recently reversed its long-held opposition to physician-assisted suicide. A psychiatrist notes many physicians are painfully conflicted about participating.
Jewish law recognises patient choice as decisive in some situations where assisted dying may be an option.
shutterstock
The Victorian assisted dying laws are based on those in Oregon, which are quite conservative. Laws in the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada are more relaxed.
There were tearful scenes in the Victorian upper house after the conscience vote on the assisted dying bill.
DAVID CROSLING/AAP
Doctors often overestimate the time a patient has left to live. In the case of Victoria’s assisted dying bill, an optimistic prediction could deny the patient the peaceful death they deserve.
The bill to legalise assisted dying was introduced to the NSW Legislative Council in September, 2017.
MICK TSIKAS/AAP
Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology; Andrew McGee, Queensland University of Technology e Ben White, Queensland University of Technology
The main arguments used by those who voted against assisted dying – including that the bill has insufficient safeguards – in Victoria’s upper house, deserve further scrutiny.
Whether politicians refer to ‘assisted dying’, ‘assisted suicide’ or ‘euthanasia’ tells us a lot about how they feel about the issue, and the emotional response they aim to convey.
Gendered risks challenge the idea that women will always be acting autonomously.
Shutterstock
The assisted dying bill in Victoria – complex and significant – is engendering less heated debate than marriage equality although both tap into some of our most fundamental fears and motivations.
Medical assistance in dying has been legal in Canada since July 2016, but there are no ‘specialists’ responsible for doctor-assisted suicide and many doctors are overwhelmed with requests.
(Shutterstock)
More than 2,000 Canadians have chosen medical assistance in dying (MAID) since legalization in 2016. But palliative care doctors aren’t embracing assisted suicide as part of their job.
Noel Conway, whose legal challenge to the UK law on assisted dying has been rejected.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive
Polls show a clear majority support assisted dying in Britain – but it depends on how the question is asked.
Detail from a statue of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus (15th-century Slovenia). For many centuries, the pain that could accompany dying was seen as punishment for sin and ultimately redemptive.
For centuries, in Western societies, ‘euthanasia’ referred to a pious death, blessed by God. The pain that could accompany dying was seen as ultimately redemptive.
Victorian MPs are about to debate an assisted dying bill. How can they sift through competing claims?
Shutterstock
Ben White, Queensland University of Technology; Andrew McGee, Queensland University of Technology e Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology
There is now a reputable body of research evidence from places that have introduced assisted dying, and MPs must examine that evidence before deciding how they will vote.