This article addresses the extent to which, if at all, a person may lawfully ‘help’ another person, for example a terminally ill spouse, to take his own life or submit to euthanasia. It considers what intent is required to be proved for a crime and the situation where the intent is mercy. In addition, it looks at the position of a survivor of a suicide pact and whether there is a human right to die. Other questions raised are: How near to voluntary euthanasia is English law now? Is an advance decision ‘no treatment if I am terminally ill’ legally valid? What is the legal duty of the doctor towards a terminally ill patient?
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