End of Life Issue in the United Kingdom

The debate on “end of life issues” has been a recurring subject over many years. The issue of self-determination regarding the timing and manner in which people may die has reached new heights due to several high profile cases decided in past years, placing the UK Parliament under pressure to intervene in order to clarify the law governing this complex and emotionally charged subject matter . This article also includes the six much-publicized older caselaw to illustrate some of the many complexities that confront policy-makers and statute drafters of such laws as the present contested assisted suicide Bill passing through the UK Parliament, added to which is the age-long problems that the drafting process is complicated by factors of pressure of time; possibility of amendments which may distort the original concept of the Bill as a whole, and the fact that parliamentary supervision of the legislative process does not ensure the quality of legislation literally enacted.