These Countries Offer 'Assisted Dying' Or Are Considering It All You Need To Know About
Switzerland legalised assisted dying in 1942 on the condition the motive is not selfish, making it the first country in the world to permit the practice
United States physician assisted dying is legal in 10 states: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, plus the District of Columbia
Netherlands the "Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act" came into effect in 2002, a doctor is immune from punishment for euthanasia and assisted suicide"
Belgium legalised medically assisted dying in 2002 for the terminally ill and for people experiencing unbearable suffering, which includes patients with psychiatric conditions
Canada introduced "Medical Assistance in Dying" in 2016 for those whose death was deemed to be "reasonably foreseeable"
Voluntary assisted dying for the terminally ill or those with a condition that is causing intolerable suffering is legal in most Australian states, after being introduced first in Victoria in 2019
Spain approved a law in 2021 which allows euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with incurable or debilitating diseases who want to end their life
Assisted dying had been legal in Germany until 2015 when the country outlawed its provision on an organised or commercial basis, effectively banning it in many cases
Doctors in France have since 2016 been allowed to put a person who is close to death and in great pain into deep sedation, but not to administer life-ending medication
In Britain bill to allow terminally ill adults with six months or less left to live the right to end their lives was introduced to parliament earlier in October and will be debated on Nov. 29
Ireland - A cross-party Irish parliamentary committee recommended this year that the government should legalize assisted dying in certain restricted circumstances