Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and more… Countries where people have the “right to die” – Firstpost

In Great Britain, there will be a debate on a controversial bill that will enable assisted dying for terminally ill patients. But this is not the first such situation. Here is a list of European countries that allow assisted dying

The UK, like many other countries, has laws in place to protect people from ending their lives. However, the situation could change if a new law is approved to allow assisted death for terminally ill people in England and Wales.

British lawmakers plan to debate the controversial issue
Act on terminally ill persons (at the end of life). which will change the fate of many people suffering from chronic diseases who have less than six months to live. This will be the first parliamentary debate on this topic since 2015.

But did you know that some countries in the world allow assisted death? Most of these countries are in Europe, where terminally ill people receive help to end their lives. Here are some of them.

The Netherlands – the first country to legalize assisted dying

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The Dutch country was the first to approve and allow active euthanasia in 2002. As part of it, doctors used deadly drugs in large doses for people suffering from incurable diseases. In addition, it legalized assisted suicide, in which patients were helped to voluntarily take their own lives.

Dutch law stated that the patient must be in “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement” and must ask for death “voluntarily, thoughtfully and with full conviction.”

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

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

Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal

Following the Netherlands’ lead, countries such as Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal have also allowed assisted death.

Belgium was the second country to adopt this law for its terminally ill patients. That’s not all, in 2014 it went a step further and enabled terminally ill children of all ages to undergo surgery, with the consent of their parents.

Luxembourg decriminalized euthanasia and assisted dying in 2009. Spain allowed euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with a serious and terminal illness in 2021, followed by Portugal in 2023. In the latter case, the law has not yet entered into force .

Switzerland, Austria and Italy are joining this trend

Switzerland prohibits euthanasia. However, it does enable assisted suicide. This has made it a destination for decades for patients across Europe seeking help to end their suffering.

People traveled to Switzerland under this procedure so often that Swiss authorities decided to put an end to “suicide tourism” and restricted the practice in 2011.

Neighboring Austria, a staunchly Catholic nation, also legalized assisted suicide in 2022 after the Constitutional Court ruled that the country was violating citizens’ fundamental rights with its ban.

In Italy, where assisted dying is illegal, the Constitutional Court in 2019 allowed an exception. The Court ruled that assisting a person suffering from “unbearable” physical or mental suffering to commit suicide should not always be punishable by law.

With AFP inputs