Assisted Suicide in Principle and Practice

Should people who are suffering be assisted to die?  If so, who – just terminally ill patients, or others, such as people with extreme psychological conditions or the elderly? And how – by permitting assisted suicide, or going further by allowing voluntary active euthanasia? Jurisdictions throughout the world are struggling with these questions, from countries such as the UK, which are considering whether to permit some form of assisted dying, to Canada, which is set to further expand their Medical Assistance in Dying programme. In this rigorous analysis, Stephen Holland argues that the best way to address these issues is to evaluate each end-of-life policy option in principle and practice. Focusing on assisted suicide for the terminally ill, Holland offers a comprehensive analysis of this policy, discussing the significance of currently accepted life-ending practices, the value of human life, and the importance of autonomy at the end of our lives. Combining philosophical arguments with current empirical data, the book presents a judicious argument in favour of assisted suicide for the terminally ill, whilst arguing that some versions of this end-of-life policy are better than others.