The Live Wire

Dignity in Dying

With our 25,000 supporters, Dignity in Dying campaigns to alleviate unnecessary suffering at the end of life by promoting greater choice, control, protection and access to services – including a change in the law to allow assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults, within strict legal safeguards.

Good quality end-of-life care can alleviate much but not all of the suffering the dying process can cause. Whether a dying person wants to prolong their life or shorten it, they should have control over where they die, their treatment options, and whether they have an assisted death.

Without an assisted dying law, dying adults will continue to suffer against their wishes at the end of life. In addition, an assisted dying law with up-front safeguards which allows for a full consideration of someone's request to die when they are still alive, would do far more to protect against abuse than an investigation and possible, but unlikely, prosecution after someone has died.

We support:

• Choice over where we die, who is present and our treatment options.

• Access to expert information on our options, good quality end-of-life care, and support for loved ones and carers.

• Control over how we die, our treatment and pain relief, and planning our own death.

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