Committee proposes assisted dying models

A majority in a Danish Committee for “a death with more dignity” suggests that terminally ill patients with less than six months to live should be able to obtain medication to end their own lives within the Danish health care system. The committee’s reflections will be handed over to health minister Sophie Løhde. According to Thomas Søbirk Petersen, a professor at Roskilde University, the proposal supports individual autonomy, a value already recognized in the health care system through abortion and the right to refuse treatment. Additionally, it aims to prevent suffering in the dying process. While there is public support for assisted dying, organizations like The Danish Council on Ethics and the Danish Medical Association oppose it. Seven of eight committee members recommend ‘physician-prescribed medication for self-chosen life termination,’ while five members are in favor of active euthanasia. The only dissenter, Janus Tarp, argues for stronger palliative care instead.