Legalising euthanasia; is it a question of equality?

The sad news that Sir Edward Downes of the BBC’s philharmonic ended his life in the notorious Swiss clinic Dignitas has set me thinking, yet again, about euthanasia. Euthanasia is often discussed as a moral issue, but I want to talk about euthanasia within the context of social equality. I ask – is euthanasia only an option for the wealthy?

A YOUGOV/Telegraph poll states that 86% of people believe the terminally ill should be able to ask for medical assistance to help them die if they can not end their lives themselves. However, only 650 Britons are currently registered with Dignitas and only 100 have been helped to die there (2008 figures). With so many sympathetic to euthanasia, and UK courts yet to prosecute a single family member for helping a loved one travel to Switzerland, why are so few using the service? What causes such a vast incongruence in the figures? Of course there will be many factors, but can we rule out economics being one of them? And if not, is this fair?

On average, it’ll set you back five thousand pounds to end your life at the Dignitas clinic, not to mention flights, accommodation, legal fees, etc , something out of reach for most individuals with a terminal illness/degenerative disease. Figures from Macmillan state that more than three-quarters of people living with cancer suffer some form of financial hardship and that even travel expenses to hospital appointments can be a struggle surely rendering travel to Europe a pipe dream for the majority. I for one feel uneasy that the right to die in is an option only for those who can afford it.

So, is it time to legalise euthanasia in the name of equality? Should the right to choose how to die be determined by you, and not your economic status?

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To find out more about Dignitas