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Euthanasia is becoming a flashpoint in Europe, where countries are increasingly debating or legalizing the practice. But this report argues that the real issue is not individual autonomy – it's the expanding grip of bureaucratic control over death.

Euthanasia is promoted as a way to give people more control over their lives. But in practice, it extends the state's influence from the moment of birth to the moment of death. What were once deeply personal and moral decisions are now being reduced to mere administrative processes and, in the process, suicide and state-sanctioned killing are being normalized and destigmatized.

This report aims to shed light on the dangers of this creeping normalization.

It explores the language manipulation used to mislead the public, the troubling history of euthanasia's rise, and how policies are being pushed to expand euthanasia legislation.  What is happening, it argues, is the erosion of the value placed on human life, turning life-and-death decisions into routine state functions.

Critically, euthanasia advocates push their agenda with euphemisms like ‘death with dignity’ to sway public opinion. They target more vulnerable states where they can push for legislative change, hoping that success will trigger a domino effect across the continent. Their ‘foot-in-the-door’ strategy is about expanding euthanasia to include broader groups and less serious conditions.

The legal push for euthanasia is not just about personal choice – it's about removing stigma around suicide and state sanctioned killing. The international push for uniform euthanasia laws threatens national sovereignty and the unique cultural values of individual nations.

This report aims to expose the underlying dangers of legalizing euthanasia, arguing that the value of human life should remain a central tenet of democratic societies.

About the author

Dr Ashley Frawley, visiting research fellow, MCC Brussels; sociologist and author of “Against legalised euthanasia in Europe: The bureaucratic control of life and death”, Semiotics of Happiness: Rhetorical Beginnings of a Public Problem (2015) and Significant Emotions: Rhetoric and Social Problems in a Vulnerable Age