The Case for Voluntary Euthanasia

The moral case for legalising voluntary euthanasia is based on three major principles:

1. Respect for personal autonomy, our right to make decisions that are primarily our own concern;
2. Compassion for those who are suffering with no prospect of relief:
3. Concern for the dignity of the person and his or her quality of life.

These same principles are also embodied in modern health care, particularly in hospice and other forms of palliative treatment, except that at present personal autonomy falls short of permitting the choice of death by direct means no matter how desperate the condition of the patient.

Many objections are raised to legalising voluntary euthanasia but this has not stemmed the growing tide of public, medical and nursing opinion that the law should be changed.

• See Fact Sheet 8  - Medical Opinion
• See Fact Sheet 9 - Nursing Opinion
• See Fact Sheet 10  - Public Opinion

Brief answers to common objections are given in the Fact Sheet 3 - Brief Answers to Five Objections and to another two in:

• See Fact Sheet 4 - Objection - The Fear of Abuse
• See Fact Sheet 5- Objection - The Slippery Slope