Is assisted dying really a matter for medical regulation?

This paper considers whether assisted suicide and euthanasia (AS/E) is an area for medical regulation or whether there is a better alternative regulatory mechanism to govern it. Drawing from empirical evidence across a range of jurisdictions where it is legalized, the paper argues that there are at least four good reasons to consider demedicalizing AS/E: 1) pragmatic ethical issues of infrastructural weakness in AS/E service provision in already overstretched healthcare systems globally; 2) challenges of medicalization; 3) regulatory complexities concerning medical law (including pharmaceutical law) and criminal law; 4) the risk that AS/E becomes more easily susceptible to healthcare economics. The paper suggests several recommendations concerning a possible ‘demedicalized model.’