ABSTRACT
Writing against a background of increasing curiosity and specific legislation in some countries allowing life-shortening medical intervention, a chapter about assisted dying felt appropriate. This does not indicate an approval of these practices, but there is plenty of disagreement and constructive and strong feelings to prove they are highly relevant to the debates about the end of life in Western Society.
Clarifying the variety of terminology used for different interventions, stories and experiences of people involved in end of life care both in the UK, where euthanasia and assisted dying are illegal, and in the Low Countries where it can be carried out under certain conditions, help to interpret how these attitudes and concepts affect the people of today, and to reflect on the impact of the law 15 years on.
As medicine and the available scopes of treatment become more complex, so do the decisions. Who makes those decisions is a fundamental question leading to many others. The chapter examines how patients, families and professionals make and live with end of life decisions, whether they result in letting nature take its course and/or in medical intervention.
