Physician-Assisted Dying: History, Changes in Law and Ethical Dilemmas

Summary: Physician-assisted dying is an act where a patient can end their life by ingesting a medicine or any form of medication that has been prescribed to them by a medical practitioner. At the moment, all forms of assisted dying in the UK are illegal under Section 2 of the 1961 Suicide Act. However, the recent ‘Terminally ill adults (End of Life) Bill’ was backed by MPs which could result in assisted dying being made legal in the UK, provided that both Houses of Parliament approve it. This article analyses the history of physician assisted dying in the UK, the recent changes in law and its ethical dilemmas. Relevance: The new developments surrounding assisted dying, which are currently being discussed in parliament, will alter the way medical students perceive physician roles. In medicine, there is a great emphasis placed on the Hippocratic Oath and the ethical pillar of non-maleficence but physician-assisted dying questions these teachings and how they should apply to modern clinical practice. Medical students must be aware of the evolving changes in law and its implications so that they can assist patients to make well-informed decisions about their own life when they graduate as doctors. Take Home Messages: Physician-assisted dying could trigger the slippery slope and could put vulnerable members of society at risk due to mala fide intentions. There are limited statistics to support this as physician-assisted dying has never been legal in the UK but there are indications from other countries that laws could gradually change over time until a wide range of individuals, not just the terminally ill, are able to seek assisted dying to end their life. In addition, certain duties of a doctor could be deemed to be out-of-date and may need to be refined in the context of physician-assisted dying.