Deciding how to end one’s life should be the ultimate human right | Simon Jenkins

The debate on assisted dying has been nudged towards common sense by the Royal College of Physicians’ vote

What is the principal cause of death in Britain? The answer is premeditated killing. And who are the killers? The answer is doctors. It’s said that over half of all deaths result from a specific medical decision, either to administer a knowingly lethal drug dose or to withdraw life-saving treatment. The better we get at keeping ourselves alive, the more cunning we must be in getting to die.

So a modest cheer for the Royal College of Physicians’ vote on Thursday to hold to a position of neutrality on so-called “assisted dying”, otherwise known as voluntary euthanasia. Only 43% now actively want the law to stay unchanged, the rest divided between reform and neutrality. It may at last nudge the debate in Britain towards humanity and common sense. In parliament at present, discussing assisted suicide remains, like abortion in Ireland until last year, taboo.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OgmmMm