Journal of law and medicine
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R (Nicklinson) v Ministry of Justice [2012] EWHC 2381 was a tragic case that considered a perennial question: whether voluntary active euthanasia is murder. The traditional position was affirmed, that is, it is indeed murder. The law's treatment of decisions to refuse treatment resulting in death is a stark contrast to the position in respect of voluntary, active euthanasia. ⋯ This article presents an overview of the legal distinction between refusing medical treatment and voluntary, active euthanasia. It questions the purported differences between what are described as acts of "active" or "passive" euthanasia. It also highlights the inconsistency of the law's treatment of different ways that people decide to die.
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The failure of medical practitioners to discharge their obligation consistently to report sudden or unnatural deaths to coroners has rightly prompted concern. Following recent public scandals, coroners and health authorities have increasingly developed procedures to ensure that concerning deaths are reported to coroners. ⋯ The Office of the State Coroner in Queensland has recently trialled a system to assess more rigorously whether deaths apparently resulting from natural causes, which have been reported to a coroner, should be investigated by the coroner, rather than being finalised by a doctor issuing a cause of death certificate. This article describes that trial and its results.