Assisted dying is a social and political issue, but it also becomes a real-life, ethical, and practical matter for me as a palliative care nurse when a patient tells me they no longer want to go on living. The fundamental dilemma facing us as both health-care professionals and UK citizens is whether UK law should be changed to allow people to decide for themselves when their lives should end, even if this would require medical assistance. Three further questions follow:? Is life always sacred or is personal autonomythe overriding principle? Is this the 'slippery slope' to killing vulnerablepeople?Is palliative care good enough to always prevent the desire for premature dying?
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