Death with dignity: the debate in England

The concept articulated in the title of this conference, ‘death with dignity’ can have many interpretations, which is of course why there is so much debate on a subject that at first sight would appear to be uncontroversial. All participants in the debate will agree that death with dignity is a good to be aspired to for everyone but what is not universally agreed is how death with dignity can be achieved in different situations, and perhaps more fundamentally what it is we actually mean by death with dignity. In this lecture I will attempt to identify and explain some of the arguments and dilemmas that have informed discussion about death with dignity in England over the past twenty years and to set this in the context of developing legal and professional regulation governing end of life decision making.