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Adherence to the Request Criterion in Jurisdictions Where Assisted Dying is Lawful? A Review of the Criteria and Evidence in the Netherlands, Belgium, Oregon, and Switzerland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Penney Lewis  and
Isra Black
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Extract

Some form of assisted dying (voluntary euthanasia and/or assisted suicide) is lawful in the Netherlands, Belgium, Oregon, and Switzerland. In order for individual instances of assisted dying to be lawful in these jurisdictions, a valid request must precede the provision of assistance to die. Non-adherence to the criteria for valid requests for assisted dying may be a trigger for civil and/or criminal liability, as well as regulatory sanctions where the assistor is a medical professional.

In this article, we review the criteria and evidence in respect of requests for assisted dying in the Netherlands, Belgium, Oregon, and Switzerland. Our aim is to establish whether individuals who receive assisted dying do so on the basis of valid requests.

Type
Independent
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , Winter 2013 , pp. 885 - 898
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2013

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References

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