In most Council of Europe member states, active euthanasia is illegal, as is assisting suicide. The number of advocates of the right to die with dignity are growing, but euthanasia still raises numerous questions and remains highly controversial: Is it a crime or an ultimate form of care? Can one person help another to die? And what about palliative care? What criteria should govern decisions to terminate or prolong life? Does euthanasia violate the European Convention on Human Rights? Once two countries, the Netherlands followed by Belgium, decided to amend their legislation to enable doctors to bring a person's life to an end if certain conditions are fulfilled, questions were asked in other European countries about the advisability of making such acts lawful. These volumes take a detailed look at the situation in eight European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Georgia, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom) and the United States, as well as taking stock of the discussions taking place throughout Europe on various aspects of the end of life.--Publisher's description