The Case Against Physician-Assisted Suicide and Voluntary Active Euthanasia: A Jurisprudential Consideration

Abstract

Twenty years after the Advance Medical Directive Act came into force in Singapore, the issue of the legalisation of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia remains live. By examining jurisprudential arguments, this article makes a case against legalisation. In particular, it is important to address the points raised in the article by Toh Puay San and Stanley Yeo, “Decriminalising physician-assisted suicide in Singapore” (2010) 22 SAcLJ 379–412, as it is possibly the most comprehensive local article on this subject and included draft legislation for legalisation in Singapore. As the authors also consider the arguments often raised in debates on euthanasia, it is apposite to approach the jurisprudential consideration by countering their arguments. I conclude that the authors’ contention that the benefits of allowing terminally-ill patients the option of physician-assisted suicide far outweigh the harms is not supported. A fortiori, voluntary active euthanasia should not be legalised.

Keywords: euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide