European countries that allow assisted dying

European countries that allow assisted dying

PARIS, November 27, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – British lawmakers will debate on Friday a new bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales, which has raised concerns among opponents about its implications.

In Europe, several countries already allow the terminally ill to receive help to end their lives.

Here’s an overview of the situation on the continent:

– Euthanasia: Dutch first –

In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize active euthanasia, in which doctors administer lethal doses of drugs to patients suffering from an incurable condition.

It also legalized assisted suicide, where patients can receive help to voluntarily commit suicide.

According to Dutch law, the patient must have “unbearable suffering without the prospect of improvement” and must have requested to die in a way that is “voluntary, well-considered and with full conviction”.

In 2012, the Netherlands expanded the law to allow euthanasia for people over 12 years of age in severe suffering, provided they have parental consent, and in 2020 for patients with severe dementia, if the patient had to have the procedure requested while still mentally competent.

The Dutch government also approved euthanasia for children under 12 in 2023, after years of debate, allowing mercy deaths for young minors suffering “unbearably and without hope”.

– Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal –

In 2002, Belgium was the second country to practice euthanasia and assisted suicide, and with similar reservations as in the Netherlands.

In 2014, it went even further by allowing terminally ill children of all ages to request the procedure as well, with their parents’ permission.

Fellow Benelux country Luxembourg decriminalized euthanasia in 2009 and provided assisted dying.

Spain authorized euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with a serious and incurable illness in 2021, followed by Portugal in 2023. In the latter case, the law has not yet entered into force.

– Assisted dying: final destination Switzerland –

Switzerland, which bans euthanasia, has allowed assisted suicide for decades, making it the destination for patients from across Europe seeking help to end their suffering.

The growth of so-called ‘suicide tourism’ has sparked much scrutiny in Switzerland, but authorities decided in 2011 not to restrict the practice.

Neighboring Austria, a staunchly Catholic nation, also legalized assisted suicide in 2022 after the constitutional court ruled the country was violating citizens’ fundamental rights by making it illegal.

In Italy, where assisted dying is against the law, the constitutional court granted an exception in 2019, ruling that it should not always be a criminal offense to help someone with “unbearable” physical or psychological suffering to commit suicide.