Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain and more… The countries where people have the ‘right to die’

The United Kingdom like many other nations have laws in place to protect people from ending their life. But things might change if a new bill is approved that allows assisted death of terminally ill people in England and Wales.

British lawmakers are set to debate the controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that will change the fate of many suffering from chronic illnesses and have less than six months to live. This will be the first parliamentary debate on the issue since 2015.

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

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Netherlands - the first country to legalise assisted dying

The Dutch country became the first one to approve and permit active euthanasia in 2002. Under this, doctors used lethal drugs in considerable doses for those suffering from incurable illnesses. Further, it legalised assisted suicide under which patients received help to take their own life voluntarily.

The Dutch law said the patient must have “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement” and must have requested to die in a way that is “voluntary, well-considered and with full conviction”.

In 2012, the Netherlands expanded the law to authorise euthanasia for over-12s in great suffering, provided they have parental consent and in 2020 to patients with severe dementia if the patient had requested the procedure while still mentally competent.

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

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Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal

Following in the footsteps of the Netherlands, countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal also allowed assisted death.

Belgium was the second country to adopt this law for its terminally ill patients. This was not all, in 2014 it went a step further by allowing terminally ill children of all ages to also request the procedure, with the consent of their parents.

Luxembourg decriminalised euthanasia and assisted dying in 2009. Spain in 2021 authorised euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with a serious and incurable illness, followed by Portugal in 2023. In the latter case, the law is not yet in force.

Switzerland, Austria and Italy join the bandwagon

Switzerland prohibits euthanasia,. However, it allows assisted suicide. This has made it the go-to destination for decades for patients across Europe looking for assistance to end their suffering.

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

Also Read: Who are death doulas, those who assist at the end of people’s lives?

Neighbouring Austria, a staunchly Catholic nation, also legalised assisted suicide in 2022 after its constitutional court ruled the country was violating citizens’ fundamental rights with the prohibition.

In Italy, where assisted dying is against the law, the constitutional court allowed an exception in 2019. The court ruled it should not always be punishable to help someone with “intolerable” physical or psychological suffering to commit suicide.

With inputs from AFP