ABSTRACT
This article examines the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on assisted-dying services in countries and jurisdictions where they are offered. Some early observations can be made. The effects upon countries that offer both euthanasia and assisted suicide are different than upon those that offer assisted suicide only, though there are similarities. The numbers of assisted deaths in Canada and the Netherlands look to be from 30 to 40% down during the three months from April to June 2020. The fact that many providers initially shut up shop, however, is more significant. It exposes the fact that assisted dying is not considered an essential medical service by many of those who provide it. This is despite some evidence that the isolation and loneliness of the prolonged lockdown led to more demands for assisted dying. The crisis also exposed, because of medical shortages, the differential value placed on elderly and disabled lives, underlying a key concern about assisted-dying legislation expressed by disabled groups.
