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Wednesday, December 17, 1997 Published at 10:14 GMT
Talking Point
Should euthanasia be legal?
The Government is setting out proposals for "living wills".
Labour's focus on this issue follows new guidelines published by the Senate of Surgery of Britain and Ireland which state that a surgeon has the moral right not to prevent death if a brain-damanged patient would live a "demonstrably awful life".
The British Lord Chancellor's proposals on "living wills" come after a report by the Law Commission calling for a radical overhaul of the law. However, a Bill put forward by Joe Ashton, MP, which would have enabled people to obtain a doctor's help to end their own lives was thrown out this week.
Absolutely! Of course with safeguards against misuse. No government or
religion has the right to force someone to live in unacceptable conditions against
their will.
"Euthanasia" can all too easily be administered
involuntarily. It's too easy for others
to judge another's quality of life as
not good enough...
Should euthanasia be legal?
What you've said so far:
Any move towards devaluing life and its importance has consequences
very difficult to evaluate and horrible to contemplate.
Parkinson, UK
Willem Kegge, USA
B Browning, USA