THE LAST FRONTIER IN PRISON REFORM?
A campaigner for prisoners’ welfare in the UK has called for voluntary euthanasia for prisoners. Mark Leech, a former prisoner and the editor of the Prisons Handbook, was commenting on the attempted suicide of child murderer Ian Huntley in a British jail.
Mr Leech said that he would favour a system of assisted suicide like the one offered by the Swiss organisation Dignitas in Zurich. "There will have to be checks and balances. I would like to see a high court judge involved. The court would have to be convinced he knew exactly what he was doing, that his mental state was fine, his decision was irreversible, that this was his life and this was what he wanted to do," he said. "We have one life, it is our own life and prisoners should be able to end it with dignity if that is what they want."
Although voluntary euthanasia for prisoners is not a popular cause, it was mooted by Australian activist Dr Philip Nitschke in his recent book Killing Me Softly as the "last frontier in prison reform".
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
Judicial ping-pong leaves Portugal without a right-to-die law
For the second time Portugal’s Constitutional Court has rejected a right-to-die law because its wording is “intolerably vague”. The bill...
Baby steps for ‘death tourism’ in Oregon
A “death tourism” industry is taking off in Oregon, claims the Daily Mail. It says that Dr Nicholas Gideonse, the...
A divorce for the end-of-life dream team
Compassion & Choices and the Alzheimer’s Association have parted ways after a partnership which lasted only a few weeks. On...
‘Your ChatGPT advance directive is ready for signing …’
I couldn’t help thinking of the trash talk at the weigh-in before a professional heavyweight fight when I read the...
Is America’s healthcare system a kleptocapitalist nightmare?
American health care is perishing under the weight of its greed, according to an editorial in JAMA by Donald M....
He did it. Not clear if he’s sorry
The doctor at the heart of a genetic engineering scandal in China has been released from jail and spoke with...