Physician-assisted suicide: the right to life or the right to death?

End-of-life issues are at the forefront of moral and political debate as medical technology advances and our population ages. Recently, Kathleen Gilderdale was acquitted of charges of assisting the suicide of her 31-year-old daughter, who had suffered from myalgic encephalomyelitis. On January 20, 2010, Frances Inglis was given a life sentence for injecting her brain-damaged son with lethal amounts of heroin in order to perform “an act of mercy”. Arguments surrounding physician-assisted suicide (PAS) are morally complex and have caused great controversy in the United Kingdom (UK).