Factbox-The legal status of assisted dying in different countries

LONDON (Reuters) -British lawmakers voted on Friday to proceed with legislation to legalise assisted dying for the terminally ill, in what would be the country's biggest social change in a generation. Below is a list of countries that allow people to choose to end their lives, or are considering doing so.

SWITZERLAND

Switzerland legalised assisted dying in 1942 on the condition the motive is not selfish, making it the first country in the world to permit the practice. A number of Swiss organisations such as Dignitas offer their services to foreign nationals.

UNITED STATES

Medical aid in dying, also known as physician assisted dying, is legal in 10 states: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, plus the District of Columbia. Oregon was the first state to legalise it under a law which came into effect in 1997. 

NETHERLANDS

The "Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act" came into effect in 2002. A doctor is immune from punishment for euthanasia and assisted suicide where patients are experiencing "unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement". Minors can request euthanasia from the age of 12 but require parental permission before the age of 16.

BELGIUM

Belgium legalised medically assisted dying in 2002 for the terminally ill and for people experiencing unbearable suffering, which includes patients with psychiatric conditions. Since 2014, those under 18 who are terminally ill are covered by the law as long as they have parental permission.

CANADA

Canada introduced "Medical Assistance in Dying" in 2016 for those whose death was deemed to be "reasonably foreseeable". Five years later, the law was extended to permit people with a "grievous and irremediable" medical condition to request assisted dying. 

AUSTRALIA

Voluntary assisted dying for the terminally ill or those with a condition that is causing intolerable suffering is legal in most Australian states, after being introduced first in Victoria in 2019. 

SPAIN

Spain approved a law in 2021 which allows euthanasia and medically assisted suicide for people with incurable or debilitating diseases who want to end their life.

GERMANY

Assisted dying had been legal in Germany until 2015 when the country outlawed its provision on an organised or commercial basis, effectively banning it in many cases. Five years later the country's top court ruled in favour of groups providing terminally ill adults with assisted suicide services, but lawmakers are yet to finalise new rules.

FRANCE

Doctors in France have been allowed to put a person who is close to death and in great pain under deep sedation since 2016. But they were not allowed to administer life-ending medication.

French lawmakers voted in May 2025 to give some people in the later stages of a terminal illness the right to end their lives using a lethal substance, a law change supported by President Emmanuel Macron. The bill was approved by the National Assembly and is now being considered by the Senate. It could become law by 2027.

IRELAND

A cross-party Irish parliamentary committee recommended this year that the government should legalise assisted dying in certain restricted circumstances.

A majority of lawmakers in 2024 voted in favour of "noting" the committee's findings. Steps could now be taken to consider a law change.

(Reporting by Sarah YoungEditing by Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry)