British lawmakers will debate a new bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales that has raised concerns among opponents about its implications.
In Europe, several countries already allow the terminally ill to get help to end their lives.
The Netherlands
In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise active euthanasia, in which doctors administer lethal doses of drugs to patients suffering from terminal illness.
It also legalised assisted suicide, where patients can be helped to take their own lives voluntarily.
The Dutch law says the patient must be experiencing "unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement" and must have asked to die in a way that is "voluntary, well thought out and with full conviction".
In 2012, the Netherlands extended the law to allow euthanasia of children over 12 who are suffering greatly, provided they have parental consent, and in 2020 to patients with severe dementia if the patient requested the procedure while still mentally healthy.
In 2023, the Dutch government also approved euthanasia for children under 12 after years of debate, allowing death by mercy for minors suffering "unbearably and without hope".
Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal
Belgium was the second country to accept euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002, with similar stipulations as the Netherlands.
Luxembourg decriminalised euthanasia and assisted dying in 2009.
Spain in 2021 allowed euthanasia and assisted suicide for people with serious and incurable illness, followed by Portugal in 2023.
Switzerland
Switzerland, which bans euthanasia, has allowed assisted suicide for decades, making it a destination for patients across Europe seeking help to end their suffering.
The growth of so-called "suicide tourism" has caused much controversy in Switzerland, but in 2011 the authorities decided not to restrict the practice.
Neighbouring Austria, a staunchly Catholic country, also legalised assisted suicide in 2022 after its constitutional court ruled that the country was violating citizens' fundamental rights with the ban.
In Italy, where assisted suicide is against the law, the constitutional court allowed an exception in 2019. The court ruled that it should not always be punishable to help a person with "unbearable" physical or mental suffering to commit suicide. | BGNES
