AN APPRAISAL OF EUTHANASIA AND THE NIGERIAN LEGISLATION: A CALL FOR LAW REFORM

Abstract

Euthanasia has been a contentious concept among scholars. Though it is not expressly mentioned in Nigerian penal laws, some provisions relate to it, since the right to life is sacrosanct and inalienable. In Nigeria, it is unlawful to kill any person except on the grounds permitted by law. The objective of this paper is to interrogate the legal status of euthanasia and make appropriate recommendations to improve the provisions on this subject. The paper adopted the doctrinal method of research; it discovered that all Nigerian laws make euthanasia a felonious and punishable offence. It recommended that Nigerian laws on euthanasia should be reviewed to reflect the socio-legal conditions of our communities, and the health sector should be improved to care for the citizens.