Asian Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies

The legal and ethical aspects of Euthanasia and assisted suicide have been contested worldwide. Healthcare professionals often encounter ethical and legal dilemmas while deciding whether to help terminally ill patients requesting to terminate their lives. The purpose of this study is to explore the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide under English and Dutch laws using a comparative approach. The essay will suggest that while euthanasia and assisted suicide are criminalised in the UK under the Suicide Act 1961, the Netherlands' law legalises the termination of lives, except that this act is performed by doctors on fulfilling stipulated statutory conditions. The study will use a qualitative research method and draw on secondary sources, including case laws, legislation, and other relevant academic sources, to explore ethical and legal challenges associated with criminalising and decriminalising euthanasia and assisted suicide in both jurisdictions. The essay will identify common ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide, such as patient autonomy, misuse of the concept, medical negligence, criminal liability of doctors, and lack of consent of terminally ill patients without the capacity to make an informed decision. This research will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of party autonomy and unbearable sufferings, two important factors that may strike a balance between ethical and legal dilemmas, with permission to terminate their lives. However, the study has its limitations, considering it relies only on secondary data and a qualitative research method, which may not cover any statistical data to analyse the legal approach of these two national jurisdictions in terms of validating euthanasia and assisted suicide.