Assisted dying: what can we learn from other countries?

A look at the world's right to die laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater stands in front of campaigners for the assisted dying bill
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater introduced the latest bill attempting to pave the way to legalise assisted dying
(Image credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)

Assisted dying is a broad term, which encompasses both assisted suicide and euthanasia. Assisted suicide is facilitated by another person, usually a physician providing a lethal medication so that a terminally ill person can end their own life (though it can also encompass helping a person to travel to another jurisdiction to die there). Euthanasia is the act of a medical professional actually administering drugs in order to end a person's life.

What is the law in the UK?

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