I will provide some suggestions for the UK government to take into account in respect of legalizing assisted dying law. In the future, this might will help the UK government to change the current law of assisted dying under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act. Perhaps the UK government may follow Switzerland’s current law of assisted dying model and may take into account its application in Swiss society. Therefore, I am going to put some suggestions, suggestions are:
Assisted suicide only should allow for those, who are suffering long-time illness and there are no hope of recovering from that illness.
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The patient must have to make his or her choice to end his or her life. But, if the patient is under the age of 18 years old, their parent’s consent with the negotiation of doctors will prevail.
A medical board should be created in the UK, particularly to monitor these types of patients who want to end their life.
The parliament should set up particular statutory criteria for the doctor to follow like in Switzerland. In Switzerland, the task of the doctor is to alleviate symptoms and to support the patient. It is not the doctor’s task to directly offer assistance in suicide, rather he is obliged to alleviate any suffering underlying the patient’s wish to commit suicide.
Also, the UK can follow assisting dying law of Oregon, US. If a doctor receives any request from a patient to end his or her life that consulting doctor must confirm that the person is able to make and communicate decisions about their health and has a terminal illness with less than 6 months to live. The attending doctor must inform the person of alternatives, including palliative care, hospice, and pain management options.
The UK authority should bind the physician or doctor who fulfills the statutory care criteria and can only assist the patient to end his or her life.
The question would arise as to which substance should be administered. It is submitted that the most appropriate solution would be to establish a medical body to investigate the various methods used in other jurisdictions. Then the body may recommend an appropriate substance for a particular patient.
Ultimately the patient will choose the options and have to take strong medication to end their own life. Therefore, the patient also needs to be mentally competent illness patient.
Moreover, it is suggested that if the UK government wishes to change the current law of assisted dying in the UK they may follow the Oregon and Switzerland models. These will help the government to modify or change the current law of assisted suicide.
The real risk of legalizing the law of assisted dying
Furthermore, there is also some risk to legalizing this law in the UK. Therefore, the UK government should consult properly with doctors or another responsible body before changing the law or legalizing assisted dying. There are some points which the government should take into account:
Depression patients may not allow assisted dying. They cannot end their life only for suffering depression, because if we allow them the number of the patient will increase to end their life than the actual vulnerable patient. Also, depression may cure at a sudden time with proper medical treatment. It is noted that allowing assisted suicide does not always mean everybody can choose to end their life, therefore it would be restricted to particularly vulnerable people. It is important to note that in the US, but not in Canada, access to assisted suicide is restricted to people suffering from incurable physical illness.
Also, it is very important to note that due to a lack of proper care units, some patients may not want to live longer with moderate pain. Therefore, the authority has to take into account this before making any change in the criteria of the patient who wants to end their life.
Due to Financial difficulties a person or patient cannot end their life.
To protect the misuse of the assisted dying law the doctor should be more responsible to their respective body. Clear details of the patient should keep and should examine the patient properly before making the final decision of assisted dying.
The patient should not be forced to make a life-ending decision.
The government may also put restrictions in every assisted dying situation there must be more than two witnesses to the decision of life ending by the patient. A witness may be a family member or anyone except examine doctor. This restriction may bring some transparency in the process of assisted dying.
Furthermore, it is also very important to take into consideration the medical practitioner’s moral or ethical issue. Where if any medical practitioner who reasonably feels unable to involve themselves in any part of the process for moral or ethical reasons could refuse on grounds of conscientious objection from being involved in any way.
Arguably, if the reform happens, then assisted suicide will be limited to England and Wales citizens, those who had been residents in the UK before the diagnosis of their illness. Arguably, this would help to prevent fears of the kind of death tourism occasionally leveled in Switzerland.
Conclusion
Finally, it is submitted that the current law of assisted suicide should be changed. Therefore this proposal outlined seeks to find a practical solution to the confusion that the law currently finds itself in. The time has come to think the UK government, whether they will change the current law of assisted suicide under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act. There are so many arguments in favor and against the current law of assisted suicide. It is submitted that the reform is very important in this area of law, but, it seems very clear that the UK parliament is reluctant to reform its current law under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act. In September 2015, the House of Commons rejected the latest reform proposal by 212 majority votes. Moreover, parliament makes the law to control crime and to protect people from evils to live happily. But, we do not think deeply about those vulnerable people who are really suffering a long time irrecoverable physical illness. Now, parliament should think about these vulnerable people. It is submitted that medical support is not always the best option for patients who are suffering from severe physical illness. These kinds of patients want to end their life with the help of others because they cannot tolerate the pain of their bodies. However, in favor of assisted dying law, a lot of supporters argue that it is immoral to force people to continue living in suffering and pain. Also, people feel that a civilized society should allow people to die in dignity and without pain, and should allow others to help them do so if they cannot manage it on their own. Arguably, it is also violating Article 8 “respect to private life” of the conventional law, because this kind of vulnerable people cannot exercise their private law as a result of the currently existing law of assisted suicide. So, It’s time for the UK government to legalize some form of assisted dying and give people the right to choose when and how to die. It is also very important to take into account that if we do not change the current law of assisted dying, in the future so many people will travel to other countries to end their own life with other help.
Therefore, this research is in favor of reforming the current law of assisted suicide under section 2(1) of the Suicide Act. The UK would not be the first country to legalize the law of assisted suicide. There are so many developing countries that have already legalized the law of assisted suicide in their domestic law like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the US states of Oregon and Canada, etc. Victoria, a state in Australia becomes the first state in the country to legalize voluntary assisted dying, which will come into effect mid-2019. Therefore, it is also an indication that the world is thinking positively particularly in developed countries about allowing some kind of assisted dying law. If the UK authority wishes to change the current law then they can get some ideas from the other countries like Switzerland or Oregon models of the law. Also, there are so many arguments against the reform of the current law like religious people's beliefs that life is given by god, so god can only take life. Moreover, even if the law change in the future the government has to monitor properly to stop any misuse by someone. Finally, the argument I can put is that vulnerable people should have given the choice to live or die if their physical illness is irrecoverable. We should not force something inhuman on them. Therefore, I am with reform and letting vulnerable people decide about their own life.
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