Regulating Assisted Dying

This paper considers whether it would be legally and practically feasible to devise a regulatory regime pursuant to which a suitably constituted regulatory authority could grant advance authorisation for the provision of assistance to another person who sought to end her own life, while maintaining society’s clear and strongly held commitment to the moral and legal wrongfulness of intentional killing. It draws primarily on regulatory theory to suggest that, although there are significant challenges associated with designing and implementing a legitimate, effective regulatory regime, these challenges are not insurmountable.