General Assembly
Olivia Barnaby Chair
Mateo Alvarez
Vice-Chair
Euthanasia and Assisted Death
Mental and Physical health can come with a number of challenges depending on the extent of the medical problem, the nature of the treatment, and the person suffering from the ailment. Naturally, mental illness is silent and can be quite deadly, similar to physical illnesses which can be just as mentally straining as it is painful. It has been a longstanding debate in many bodies of government, religion, and medicine, as to whether euthanasia, or medically assisted death, is an acceptable way to end one’s suffering if they choose to go through with the process. There are many arguments both for and against euthanasia which makes it a difficult topic to navigate when looking at the nuances of the access to euthanasia on a national level as well as who should be able to make the executive decision.
It will be the responsibility of the committee’s delegates to reach a conclusion on where the United Nations Committee for Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM) issues stands on the topic, and how they will approach its place in modern Society.
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Delegates will be expected to navigate the topic by remaining aligned with their countries political views and exploring the topics of assisted death’s role in medicine and its conflict with medical ethics stemming from the hippocratic oath.