What is assisted dying and how could the law change?

The Dignity in Dying campaign group says more than 200 million people around the world have legal access to some form of assisted dying, external.

Switzerland has allowed assisted suicide since 1942. Its Dignitas facility – which accepts foreign patients as well as Swiss nationals – began operating in 1998. Between 1998 and 2023 it helped 571 Britons to die, external.

Assisted suicide is also legal in Austria.

In the US, 11 states – Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, Hawaii, New Jersey, Vermont, Maine and Washington DC – allow “physician-assisted dying”.

It permits doctors to prescribe lethal drugs for self-administration.

Voluntary euthanasia is legal in Canada where it is called medical assistance in dying. It can be provided by a doctor or nurse practitioner, either in person or through the prescription of drugs for self-administration.

It is also legal in Spain and Colombia, both of which also permit assisted suicide.

Assisted dying is legal in some parts of Australia but the law differs across states. It is not permitted in either the Northern or Australian Capital territories.

New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Act legalises assisted dying and allows adults in their final months of life to request assistance from a medical professional.

Three countries have laws that allow people who are not terminally ill to receive assistance to die: The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.