Assisted dying by STUDENT Tanapat (Peng) Pichaikool

In Uk

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 01:52:18 UTC

In other countries

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 01:52:22 UTC

Legal position

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 01:52:56 UTC

Legal position

Both active euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal under English law.

Depending on the circumstances, euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or murder and is punishable by law, with a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment.

Assisted suicide is illegal under the terms of the Suicide Act (1961) and is punishable by up to 14 years' imprisonment. Attempting to kill yourself is not a criminal act in itself.

What does the law in the UK say?

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 01:56:16 UTC

The intentional killing of an individual regardless of whether it is at their request is a criminal act under UK law treated as either murder or manslaughter and in certain instances carries with it a mandatory life sentence of imprisonment.

How does the UK's law compare to other countries?

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 01:59:34 UTC

Assisted suicide is currently only legal in:

Belgium
Holland
Luxembourg
Switzerland
US states of Washington and Oregon

Current law regarding assisted suicide

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 02:04:50 UTC

The practice of assisted suicide in Switzerland has led many people to believe that the practice has been legalized in that country. That is not the case. There is an important distinction between the Swiss situation and that of Oregon, the Netherlands and Belgium where the law considers euthanasia and/or assisted suicide to be “medical treatment.”

What is the position of the law on assisted suicide in Switzerland?

peng_pichaikool — 2015-10-06 02:05:47 UTC

Journalists often make the mistake of asserting that euthanasia is allowed there. This is not true: only assisted suicide — but this has been legal, astonishingly, since the 1930’s.