South African courts are about to confront a life-or-death question: should individuals have the right to decide how and when they die?
The Netherlands became the first country in the world to make assisted suicide legal in 2001. Since then, it’s become an increasingly popular option among the population.
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There are strict requirements that need to be met before euthanasia may be considered, such as suffering from an incurable illness that causes “unbearable” physical or mental anguish. Doctors however have the final decision in the matter, which is perhaps worrying.
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Given Japan’s low birthrate and the highest public debt in the developed world, policymakers increasingly worry about how to fund Japan’s expanding pension obligations.
The act of assisting someone to die is fairly commonplace in South Africa, but people in this country tend to turn a blind eye towards it, says Professor Willem Landman of NGO Dignity SA. Landman was commenting on today’s news that his counterpart, Cape Town-based professor Sean Davison, has been cleared of an attempted murder charge in New Zealand for performing euthanasia on his mother.