Austria’s constitutional court has ruled a ban on helping ‘seriously ill’ people ending their own lives is unconstitutional, in a landmark ruling which has been welcomed by My Death, My Decision. The case relates to a claim brought by a series of claimants, including a 56-year-old man who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Under Austria’s criminal [...]
Credit: gdsteam, source: https://bit.ly/38ymwuL (Creative Commons 2.0) In an urgent parliamentary question on 5th Nov 2020, the day a second lockdown was introduced in England, Andrew Mitchell (MP) asked the Health Secretary Matt Hancock to make a statement on the impact of new coronavirus regulations on the ability of terminally ill adults to [...]
Credit: New Zealand Flaghttps://bit.ly/34CZ1yh New Zealand has overwhelmingly voted to legalise assisted dying by 65.2% to 33.8%, according to the preliminary results of a nation-wide referendum. My Death, My Decision has welcomed the result as a decisive victory for campaigners, which will add renewed pressure on the UK to follow suit. Nearly two [...]
Jane Nicklinson, one of the signatories of the letter, alongside her husband Tony, who had locked-in syndrome in the run-up to his death in 2012. Credit: Andi Reiss 'Endgame' The families and living claimants from most of the past right-to-die cases have come together for the first time, and called for an inquiry [...]
A 34-year-old man who is on life-support will be allowed to die following a ruling from the Court of Protection. The man, known as ‘MSP’ for legal reasons, has suffered from ‘painful and complex abdominal problems’ for more than a decade. His life could only continue if he had a permanent stoma inserted. This was [...]
Sir Iain Chalmers left, Professor Wendy Savage centre, and Dr Henry Marsh right. An article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has called upon healthcare professionals to respect their patients’ end-of-life wishes, and ensure that the rights of those receiving care are protected during coronavirus. The article, written by My Death, My [...]
Credit: Andrew Davidson, https://bit.ly/3c7koJb My Death, My Decision was sad to learn that the celebrated right-to-die activist Barbara Smoker has died aged 97. As a former Chair of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (now known as Dignity in Dying), Barbara was at the forefront of several social justice movements within the UK for more [...]
The Canadian government has proposed changing the law on assisted dying to extend access for those who are not terminally ill. Unlike some states in the USA and Australia, under Canada's current 2016 law, the right to request an assisted death is not restricted to those with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. [...]
The Canadian Government has launched a consultation on changing its law on medically assisted dying. Under its current rules, Canadian adults who are of sound mind can voluntarily request an assisted death, if they suffer from a grievous and irremediable medical condition, and are in a state of irreversible decline - resulting in intolerable suffering [...]
MDMD commented recently on how the current Canadian Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) legislation was now starting to be used in some early stage dementia cases. A recent 30-minute radio programme broadcast by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) discusses another case in depth. The programme and a detailed summary are available on their website. This is [...]