A majority in the government’s committee supports changes to the legislation on assisted dying. A significant majority in the Committee for a Dignified Death wishes to change the legislation so that Danes have more control over the end of life. Seven out of eight members of the committee, appointed by the government, support different models for assisted dying. This is evident from conversations with the committee’s chairman, parish priest Kathrine Lilleør, whom Berlingske, Politiken, and DR have spoken to.
The members of the committee have different views on how a new model for assisted dying should be formulated. Four members wish to make it legal for terminally ill patients to receive a lethal dose of medication. Two members believe that doctors should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in taking medication that leads to death. One member suggests that relatives should have the opportunity to assist the dying person in committing medically assisted suicide. Only one member believes that the current legislation should remain unchanged.
Assisted dying and euthanasia are currently illegal in Denmark, but this could change. Kathrine Lilleør emphasizes to DR that the members of the committee do not necessarily subscribe to the traditional view of assisted dying. Most believe that the proposed models should only be used in situations where it is assessed that the patient will die within a short time frame.
The committee is tasked with preparing a “reflection paper” for the government, which will then make a decision in collaboration with the Parliament on any changes to the legislation. The Ethical Council has previously advised against the introduction of assisted dying. Additionally, two members, doctor Emma Helledie and nurse Jesper Grud Rasmussen, left the committee in May in protest against what they believed was too much focus on assisted dying.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has previously expressed support for assisted dying. During the People’s Meeting on Bornholm in 2023, she stated that she, like a majority of Danes, personally supports assisted dying.