Discussion Evening on Assisted Dying: What Might Good Legislation Look Like?

An important part of the ethical legitimacy of legalising voluntary assisted dying is that the legal framework be reasonable and that careful attention be given to numerous important aspects of assessment and implementation. Just over a year ago, a parliamentary group introduced a bill on assisted dying. Although the bill was in many respects well constructed, there was room for improvement. Numerous consultation responses were submitted, among them a response from Lífsvirðing—an association advocating the legalisation of assisted dying—which presented a number of thoughtful proposals for improvement. In light of the content of this bill and the ongoing debate about where the boundaries should be drawn regarding eligibility for assisted dying, we intend to examine the issue further.

There are also important developments taking place in neighbouring countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, legislation on the matter was approved last summer. In Finland, the parliamentary climate appears relatively favourable towards the issue, while greater uncertainty remains in the other Nordic countries.

The panel will feature Ingrid Kuhlman, MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and Chair of Lífsvirðing; Sævar Finnbogason, MA in Philosophy, BA in History, Philosophy and Social Sciences, and Vice-Chair of Flourishing; and Svanur Sigurbjörnsson, physician, BA in Philosophy, MA in Biomedical Ethics, and Chair of Flourishing. The discussion will be moderated by Bjarni Jónsson, board member of Lífsvirðing.