Do We Have the Right to Die?

The latest attempt to legalise assisted dying in the UK may have failed, but the debate is far from over

'Absolutely fantastic. It gives you a deep sense of the morality, the legality, the technicality. Invaluable' XAND VAN TULLEKEN
'Nuanced and thoughtful' OBSERVER

Two expert thinkers tackle one of the most difficult and divisive issues of our times: assisted dying.

Lady Hale, former president of the Supreme Court, argues that everyone should have the freedom to decide the time and manner of their own death, exploring how the law might establish effective safeguards while preserving an individual’s right to decide for themselves when their suffering becomes unbearable. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, contends that no such right can ever be absolute. He raises profound questions about the protection of vulnerable communities, the pressures on an overstretched NHS and the risk that assisted dying could become a substitute for properly funded palliative care.

Together, they illuminate what is ultimately at stake: how we uphold dignity for all, and what it truly means to offer everyone what we profoundly deserve – a good death.

Published in conjunction with Intelligence Squared, the world’s leading curator of debate, this book is part of the Think Again series: short books that present two contrasting but equally persuasive views in a single volume.