Assisted Dying, David Hume and the Principle of Utility.

Assisting a person with the intent of hastening death is an emotive and highly contentious issue. Currently, such an action in not legally permissible in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England. In Scotland there is a now a proposal to change the law, through the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill (2024). For those with religious commitments, their attitude to an assisted death is determined by the exegesis of their faith's holy books. If, however, a person is faithless, how do they personally, or the wider society as expressed in statute law, come to a decision on assisted dying and what secular guidance is available? In this essay, we consider assisted dying in the context of Hume's various writings on religion, suicide, his own death and his principle of 'utility', as a prism through which to offer a wider societal perspective on the moral and ethical issues involved. Our judgement is that, were Hume alive today, he would not only believe that an individual has the right to choose an assisted death, but that – in some limited circumstances – there may even be an obligation to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]