We can try to avoid the term ‘Assisted Dying’ as much as possible when we mean euthanasia or assisted suicide or simply ‘killing’. The term is used to make palatable something which is actually quite shocking.
We can use the term ‘euthanasia’ to include assisted suicide, although they are distinct processes. Strictly speaking, euthanasia involves another person killing someone (usually by administering poisons) and assisted suicide involves helping a person kill themselves (usually by providing poisons). In discussion, euthanasia is a useful general term to include both actions, and an alternative term is EAS (euthanasia and assisted suicide).
Stolen Language
True hospice care is true assisted dying, which assists and supports people through the natural death process, seeking to neither hasten nor delay death. The End of Life Choice Act stole the words ‘assisted dying’, but in the Act it means killing rather than what true hospice care does. We can push back on this stealing of language by not going along with our opponents’ verbal misuse – instead we can call euthanasia what it really is – killing, or at least euthanasia.
Even the word ‘Choice’ in the title of the Act is designed to make it seem more acceptable. We are forced to use it so as to be clear about what piece of legislation we are referring to. However the true title should have been ‘The End of Life Killing Act’, but that would have seemed too brutally real!
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