24 & ready to die is the tragic case of Emily, a young Belgian woman granted the right to a doctor’s help to end her own life because of her persistent, severe depression. Belgium and the Netherlands are the only countries which permit doctor-assisted dying for those experiencing unbearable mental suffering. Several American states allow doctor-assisted dying for the terminally ill, including, from next year, California. Majorities in 13 of the 15 countries polled by The Economist and IPSOS MORI in June support doctor-assisted dying. The Economist has championed doctor-assisted dying in articles and editorials since the 1990s, including most recently a cover story in June this year. The Economist ran a video advert in London in September and Berlin asking: “Could you live a life like this?” to encourage people to start talking about the right to die. Support for doctor-assisted dying is growing globally. Bills have recently been debated in Britain and Germany, and a ruling in Canada’s Supreme Court means that country will soon have legal doctor-assisted dying too. California’s governor signed an assisted-dying bill into law in October. A recent poll by Ipsos-MORI for The Economist found majorities in support of doctor-assisted dying laws in 13 out of 15 countries surveyed—including the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and Germany. But only in Belgium and the Netherlands were majorities in favour of allowing doctor-assisted dying in cases of unbearable suffering that is mental, rather than physical. The Economist supports the introduction of legalised doctor-assisted dying around the world. Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, says: “For The Economist, the case for allowing doctor-assisted dying relies on personal choice and individual autonomy. Our liberal values and respect for human dignity mean that for this paper, doctor-assisted dying is a cause worth championing.”
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