Regulating active voluntary euthanasia: What can England & Wales learn from Belgium and the Netherlands?

This chapter considers the regulation of active voluntary euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, analysing the Dutch and Belgian Acts and the context in which they operate. It is argued that the current law pertaining to end-of-life decision-making in England and Wales is ethically and intellectually inconsistent and in need of reform. Whilst it is not suggested that either the Dutch or the Belgian Act could be imported wholesale into English law, not least because both countries have different legal systems and legal cultures from that of England and Wales, it is argued that valuable lessons can be learnt from the Dutch and Belgian experiences. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how stringent safeguards could be incorporated into legislation legalising active voluntary euthanasia.