Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2012
Keywords
Voluntary euthanasia, Assisted suicide, Prosecutorial discretion, Criminal prosecution, End of life decision making
Abstract
This article proposes offense-specific guidelines for how prosecutorial discretion should be exercised in cases of voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide. A similar policy has been produced in England and Wales but we consider it to be deficient in a number of respects, including that it lacks a set of coherent guiding principles. In light of these concerns, we outline an approach to constructing alternative guidelines that begins with identifying three guiding principles that we argue are appropriate for this purpose: respect for autonomy; the need for high-quality prosecutorial decision-making; and the importance of public confidence in that decision-making.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Ben White & Jocelyn Downie, "Prosecutorial Guidelines for Voluntary Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Autonomy, Public Confidence and High Quality Decision-Making" (2012) 6 Melbourne UL Rev 656.
Publication Abbreviation
Melbourne UL Rev
