Intended for healthcare professionals

Choice

Death in a consumer society

BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7383.0/g (Published 01 February 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:g

Why shouldn't somebody be able to order a pain free death in the way that they can order a pizza, a newspaper, a massage, or a package holiday in Venice? Even the question may shock some BMJ readers, but an increasing number of people can't see why they shouldn't be able to pay for a pain free death with their credit card. It can't be done in Britain—and most other societies—in 2003, and Reginald Crew, a 74 year old man from Liverpool with motor neurone disease, had to travel to Switzerland to be helped to die (p 242). In doing so he re-ignited …

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