The Right To Die
Dying with dignity or playing God?
Do we have the right to die? Is it ever ok to end the life of another? Should people be allowed to choose their own death in accordance with their own wishes, or has death on demand gone too far? Is there a slippery slope? As of 2019, assisted dying is still illegal in the UK but accepted in Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, five states in the USA and Canada. Many people are against assisted dying for religious or moral reasons. They fear the floodgates might be opened leading to uncontrollable killing of vulnerable people. In this Pod, the podcasts generally voice the debates of the issues and factors involved, whilst the individual stories in the video section present the human side of the issue.
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Euthanasia and assisted dying rates are soaring. But where are they legal?
A helpful summary article defining terms and summarising the laws in different countries and jurisdictions. What’s the difference between euthanasia, assisted dying and assisted suicide? Which countries permit any of these variants? What’s the situation in the UK? How many people undergo euthanasia or assisted suicide? What does the UK public think about euthanasia and assisted suicide? Nicola Davis for The Guardian July 2019.
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PODCASTS
The Right to Die? Undiscovered
(43 mins )
Dying with dignity or playing god? Assisted dying. Despite drawing support across a broad coalition on religious, medical and moral grounds, the question of legalising assisted dying in the UK remains unanswered. Today, we meet people immersed in both sides of the debate – and ask if Britain should give people the right to die.
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Assisted Dying Moral Maze
(42 mins )
Assisted Dying in the UK is the issue that Moral Maze has returned to debate most often, chaired by Michael Buerk with Mona Siddiqui, Anne McElvoy, Giles Fraser and Claire Fox, who voice both sides of the argument.
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The Right to Die for Children
(26 mins )
The right to die in Belgium. Voluntary euthanasia for adults has been legal since 2002 in Belgium. Discussion about extending the right to die to children who are terminally ill, the bill under discussion has since been voted in. Feb 2014.
Play
One man’s fight for his right to die in Canada
(28 mins )
A discussion about advanced consent before symptoms from a medical condition take over. Ron Posno knows how he wants to die: on his own terms and with help from a healthcare professional. He’s an advocate for people with dementia and a volunteer with Dying with Dignity Canada from London, Ontario Jan 2020.
Play
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VIDEOS
Death with Dignity
(20 mins )
Physician assisted dying in Canada, a talk by Grace Pastine, Civil Liberties Lawyer. Grace discusses why she believes critically ill individuals who are suffering unbearably from an incurable medical condition should have the right to choose a peaceful and dignified death. The case of Gloria Taylor in Canada who was suffering from MND. Gloria won the right to seek a compassionate death with the assistance of a doctor in 2015.
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I’m Not a Criminal for Helping My Husband Die
(10 mins )
In Feb 2019, 80-year-old Geoff Whaley chose to end his life at Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. But, in an open letter posted to MPs written before his death – Geoff said the final weeks of his life had been blighted by visits from the UK social services and police after his wife faced criminal charges for assisting him in his journey to Switzerland. His family continue to petition for a change in the law on assisted suicide. This Morning.
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The right to die in Belgium: An inside look at the world’s most liberal euthanasia law
(11 mins )
Is Belgium pushing the boundaries of Euthanasia? With the most liberal laws in the world governing physician-assisted suicide, surveys in Belgium show overwhelming support for its legality. Doctors say euthanasia gives terminally ill patients experiencing constant and unbearable suffering a practical and humane way to die peacefully. But even in a country with far-reaching acceptance, controversy still remains.
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24 & ready to die
(21 mins)
Emily is 24 years old and physically healthy but she find her life unbearable and wants her doctors to end her life. In Belgium doctor assisted death or euthanasia is now legal for mental suffering or psychiatric disorders. Is the right to die a basic human right for everyone ?
Watch
ARTICLES
Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments – Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?
+Covering : Legalization/Legalization: Medical Perspectives/Legalization: Lawmakers’ Views/Vulnerable Groups/Hippocratic Oath/Legal Right/Slippery Slope/Palliative Care/Physician Obligation/Financial Motivations.
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Why euthanasia for children in Belgium is wrong.
+Extending euthanasia rights to children was a bad proposal because of misconceptions about voluntary euthanasia. Charles Foster for The Conversation
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Death on demand: has euthanasia gone too far ?
+Countries around the world are making it easier to choose the time and manner of your death. But doctors in the world’s euthanasia capital are starting to worry about the consequences. Christopher de Bellaigue for The Guardian Long Read.
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